science

Traumatic stress

Traumatic stress is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Traumatic stress rather than just read about it. In short: Traumatic stress is a common term for reactive anxiety and depression, although it is not a medical term and is not included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The experience of traumatic stress include subtypes of anxiety, depression and disturbance of conduct along with combinations of these symptoms.

Key takeaways

Traumatic stress belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Traumatic stress to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Traumatic stress from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Traumatic stress is a common term for reactive anxiety and depression, although it is not a medical term and is not included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The experience of traumatic stress include subtypes of anxiety, depression and disturbance of conduct along with combinations of these symptoms. This may result from events that are less threatening and distressing than those that lead to post-traumatic stress disorder. The fifth edition of the DSM describes in a section titled "Trauma and Stress-Related Disorders" disinhibited social engagement disorder, reactive attachment disorder, acute stress disorder, adjustment disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Symptoms Symptoms of traumatic stress can be both physical and emotional. Physical symptoms include trembling, shaking, a pounding heart, rapid breathing, choking feelings, stomach tightening/churning, dizziness/faintness, and cold sweats. Emotional symptoms include racing thoughts and excessive feelings of shock, disbelief, fear, sadness, helplessness, guilt, anger, shame and anxiety. Furthermore, many people revert to certain coping mechanisms. In children, that may include a loss of being able to take care of themselves (no longer able to eat on their own or be toilet trained). In adults, there can be an increase in impulsive behavior and dependence on others (leading to an inability for them to make "thoughtful, autonomous decisions".

Types

Dis-inhibited social engagement disorder Dis-inhibited social engagement disorder is a stress-related disorder stemming from neglect during childhood. According to Erikson's work on the stages of psychosocial development, the psycho-social crisis of trust versus mistrust during infancy causes neglect during that period to have permanent effects because a neglected infant does not learn to trust his parent(s). Feelings of mistrust and anxiety may eventually lead to traumatic stress, especially through dis-inhibited social engagement disorder, among others. Symptom persistence is necessary for a diagnosis of dis-inhibited social engagement disorder: specific symptoms must be present for at least twelve months.

Reactive attachment disorder Reactive attachment disorder is a trauma disorder that arises when a parent does not console an upset child. A repetition of this behavior causes sadness, irritability, and fear, which can then lead to the disorder. A cluster of symptoms relating to indiscriminate behaviors is regarded as dis-inhibited social engagement disorder rather than reactive attachment disorder; symptoms of reactive attachment disorder must be inhibited. Both dis-inhibited social engagement disorder and reactive attachment disorder are related to severe pathogenic care.

Acute stress disorder Another disorder in this category is acute stress disorder, which is listed in DSM-5 under code 308.3, ICD-10, F43.0. According to the DSM-5 "Acute Stress Disorder is caused by trauma (traumatic stress) and lasts at least 3 days."

Adjustment disorder Another disorder in this category is adjustment disorder DSM-5 code 309, ICD-10, F43-2. "Adjustment disorder is a manipulative reaction to identifiable psycho-social stressor(s) or life change(s) characterized by preoccupation with the stressor and failure to adapt."

Post-traumatic stress disorder The last disorder listed in the DSM-5 is post-traumatic stress disorder. "Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, a serious accident, a terrorist act, war/combat, rape or other violent personal assault." The diagnostic standards for PTSD encompass reliving the traumatic experience, avoiding triggers, and persistent hyperarousal. Post-traumatic stress disorder can affect people of all ages, including children as young as 2.

See also Post-traumatic growth Symptoms of victimization

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Traumatic stress

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Traumatic stress claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Traumatic stress before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Traumatic stress ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Traumatic stress

In research: Traumatic stress appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Traumatic stress in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Traumatic stress is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Adverse childhood experiences, Psychological stress, Types of trauma, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Traumatic stress outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Traumatic stress in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Traumatic stress means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Traumatic stress out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Traumatic stress in simple terms?

Why does Traumatic stress matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Traumatic stress?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Traumatic stress.