The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) measures stress in several of its national surveys: the National Health Survey (NHS) and the General Social Survey (GSS) and in 2020 began surveying stress in the Household Impacts of COVID-19 Survey. Measuring stress is a challenge as people have varied stress responses when exposed to variants of stressors and health researchers across disciplines have varied practices for measuring stress. Childhood trauma experiences not only increase the risk of onset of mental illness but also affect clinical course and responses to treatment. Trauma and mental illnessĮxperience of trauma can contribute to development of many different forms of mental illness such as psychosis, schizophrenia, eating disorders, personality disorders, depressive and anxiety disorders, alcohol and substance use disorders, and self-harm and suicide-related behaviours (Heim et al. Emerging research propose that individuals affected are likely to experience traumatic stress reactions related to worry about the future, exposure to the virus and stressful events (for example, unemployment, isolation, non-sudden illness/death) (Bridgland et al. 2021). Traumatic injury survivors often suffer from physical, emotional, cognitive, and financial consequences that can affect their lives, their families, and society for prolonged periods of time (Herra-Escobar 2021).Įxceptional situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic can lead to trauma. being in a life-threatening car accident (Phoenix Australia 2019).witnessing a person critically injured or killed, or finding a body.experiencing an unexpected death of a close loved one.Research suggests that the most common traumatic events experienced by Australians are: The feelings last for a long time and interfere with how people cope with everyday life. PTSD is a chronic condition that can be diagnosed when fear, anxiety and memories of a traumatic event persist. A well-known trauma-related mental illness is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The trauma experienced can be physical and/or mental and not everyone will respond in the same way. What is trauma?Īny event that involves exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence has the potential to be traumatic. Stress can also cause or influence a broad range of physical health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, poor healing, irritable bowel syndrome, and mental disorders such as depression or anxiety (Gouin and Kiecolt-Glaser 2011 NIMH 2019 Stöppler 2018). Continuous stress without relief can result in a condition called distress – a negative stress reaction that can lead to physical symptoms such as headaches, loss of appetite, increased blood pressure, chest pain, sexual dysfunction, and problems sleeping. Stress can initiate the ‘fight or flight’ response, a complex reaction of the neurologic and endocrine systems. Stressors can be external (from environment, psychological or social situations) or internal (for example, illness). Stress has both mental and physical aspects and can be triggered by different life experiences. Stress is a common and normal physical response to challenging or new situations. While stress is not a diagnosis, persistent stress can lead to long term physical and psychological symptoms. Stress is a response to challenging or new life events such as a job loss, exams, deadlines, finances, or divorce. Traumatic events are often life-threatening and include events such as natural disasters, motor vehicle accidents, sexual assault, difficult childbirth experiences or a pandemic. According to Gomes (2014), ‘Trauma is an experience of extreme stress or shock that is/or was, at some point, part of life’.
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