People affected by crises and emergencies, both professionals and
civilians, experience various stresses and challenges, which can be
traumatic.
This article is first of an 8-part series on crisis stress.
It’s crucial to understand how these events impact them and
potentially lead to conditions like acute stress disorders, acute crisis
episodes, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Recognizing these
effects and adapting to support individuals under pressure is essential.
Even emergency responders and crisis managers, despite their training
and resilience, can be significantly affected by crisis events. While
generally resilient, the demands of crises impose unique stresses on
them. Professionals face challenges such as performance pressures, time
constraints, high-stakes risks, and potential exposure to horrific
circumstances, all leading to significant physical and psychological
responses.
General Adaptation Syndrome Has 3 Phases
Hans Selye coined the term “stress” in the 1930s to describe a
predictable pattern of physiological responses to noxious stimuli, which
he called the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). GAS has three phases:
- Alarm Phase: Initial response to a stressor, triggering the body’s alarm response.
- Resistance Phase: The body attempts to adapt and cope with the stressor.
- Exhaustion Phase: Resources are depleted, leading to potential long-term damage if stress continues.
While the latter two phases are relevant to chronic stress, the alarm
phase is particularly important in understanding acute stress during
emergencies.
Not all stress is harmful. Research in high-risk industries like
aviation and law enforcement has explored the effects of stress on
performance.
While challenging to study in real-life events, research
methods like simulations and physiological studies offer insights into
how stress impacts attention, memory, decision-making, and even group
performance.
Categories of Stress
- Chronic lower-order stress: Routine daily and work-related stresses,
ranging from minor inconveniences to more significant personal issues.
- Acute stress: Tied to specific events or contexts like emergencies or crises. Acute stress can be further divided into:
- High stress: Measurable physiological and psychological effects disrupt normal functions.
- Hyper stress: Peak effects leading to dysfunctional changes in behavior and cognitive impairment.
- Traumatic stress: Significant, long-lasting effects on psychological processes, potentially leading to PTSD.
Acute stress can initially boost performance by triggering the “fight
or flight” response, enhancing focus and concentration. However,
excessive or prolonged stress can have negative impacts on physical and
mental functions. Individual responses to stress vary, but the general
progression of effects is often similar.
Future articles will explore the physiological reactions to crises
and the acute stress response in more detail. Check back on the HUB over
the coming weeks for the next seven installments in this series.
####
References
De Soir, E. L. (2003). The CRASH 1 –Model for Psychosocial Crisis
Intervention: from Peer Driven Early Intervention to Professional Care
and Therapeutic Action with Military and Emergency Services Personnel.
Research Report on The Prevention of Psychological Trauma in Fire,
Rescue, Police & Military Personnel. Royal Military Academy,
Department of Behavioural Sciences, STRESS & TRAUMA RESEARCH CENTRE,
Brussels, Belgium.
LeBlanc, V. R. (2009). The Effects of Acute Stress on Performance:
Implications for Health Professions Education. Academic Medicine 84(10):
p S25-S33, October 2009. DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e3181b37b8f
National Research Council Report: Facing Hazards and Disasters:
Understanding Human Dimensions (2006). NRC Division on Earth and Life
Studies, Committee on Disaster Research in the Social Sciences: Future
Challenges and Opportunities.
McEwen BS. (2017). Neurobiological and Systemic Effects of Chronic Stress. Chronic Stress. 2017; 1. doi:10.1177/2470547017692328
McFarlane, A.C. (1995). Stress and Disaster. In: Hobfoll, S.E., de
Vries, M.W. (eds) (1995) Extreme Stress and Communities: Impact and
Intervention. NATO ASI Series, vol 80. Springer, Dordrecht.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8486-9_11
Paton, D. and Flin, R. (1999), “Disaster stress: an emergency
management perspective”, Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 8 No.
4, pp. 261-267. https://doi.org/10.1108/09653569910283897
Shields, G. S., Sazma, M.A., and Yonelina, A.P. (2016). The effects
of acute stress on core executive functions: A meta-analysis and
comparison with cortisol, Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 68,
(September 2016), 651-668. DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.06.038
Yang, Y., Yunfend, S., Zhang, Y., Jiang. J., Tang, J., Zhu, X., and
Miao, D. (2013). Bifactor Item Response Theory Model of Acute Stress
Response, PLOS One, 10.1371. DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0065291
Yeager, K.R. and Roberts, A.R. (2003). Differentiating Among Stress,
Acute Stress Disorder, Crisis Episodes, Trauma, and PTSD: Paradigm and
Treatment Goals. Brief Treatment & Crisis Intervention, 2003, Vol 3,
Issue 1, 3:3–25.
Zhao, Y. (2023). The Effects of Acute Stress Reaction on
Trauma-Related Symptoms and Relevant Factors, VOL. 8 (2023): Proceedings
of the 2022 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION, PSYCHOLOGY,
HUMANITIES AND HISTORICAL RESEARCH (EPHHR 2022). DOI: https://doi.org/10.54097/ehss.v8i.4243
