Research shows that working in emergencies, crises, and disaster operations is a major professional challenge due to stress. However, training on the impact of stress in these roles is often lacking.

This is the second installment in a eight-part series, focusing on typical human reactions to crises, including the Acute Stress Response (ASR).

Stress in Crisis Management: High stress and hyper-stress affect individuals cognitively and physically. Both chronic stress (long-lasting, persistent stressors) and acute stress (short-term, immediate threats) can have negative impacts. Chronic stress can lead to health issues like cardiovascular problems, weakened immune systems, anxiety, depression, and impaired cognitive function. Managing chronic stress requires stress reduction techniques and professional help.

Acute Stress Response (ASR): ASR is a temporary response to immediate threats.

ASR triggers physiological changes like increased heart rate and heightened alertness.

ASR is time-limited and can even enhance performance up to a point.  However, acute stress can also lead to:

• Narrowed focus
• Decreased cognitive flexibility
• Impaired complex problem-solving and decision-making abilities
• Impact on memory retrieval and consolidation

Key ASR Stages:

• Alarm stage (Fight or Flight): The body is flooded with adrenaline, increasing heart rate and preparing for action.
• Resistance stage: If the stressor persists, the body adapts to cope with higher stress levels, staying alert but potentially experiencing symptoms like poor concentration.
• Exhaustion stage: If the stress persists further, the body’s resources become depleted, leading to burnout, fatigue, and potential health issues.

Symptoms of Acute Stress Reaction

• Psychological symptoms like anxiety, low mood, irritability, confusion, and decreased concentration.
• Recurrent dreams or flashbacks.
• Avoidance of reminders related to the trauma.
• Physical symptoms such as heart palpitations, nausea, chest pain, and breathing difficulties.

Memory under Stress: Stress can enhance memory formation for key features of a stressful event. However, it can also lead to memory decontextualization, impairing memory for contextual details. Stress can impair memory retrieval, particularly stressor-unrelated information. It can also reduce memory flexibility, leading to a reliance on more rigid, habitual responses.

Adaptive and Maladaptive Effects of Stress on Memory: Enhanced memory for stressful events can be adaptive, helping individuals prepare for similar future threats. However, these changes can become maladaptive, contributing to conditions like PTSD.

Factors like stressor intensity, duration, type, controllability, predictability, and individual predispositions influence whether stress-induced memory changes are adaptive or maladaptive.

####

References

Eastman, K., Coates, D., and Allodi, F. (1970). The Concept of Crisis. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 15 (5), 463-472. doi:10.1177/070674377001500508

Friedman, M.J. (2015). Strategies for Acute Stress Reactions and Acute Stress Disorder (ASD). In: Posttraumatic and Acute Stress Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15066-6_6

Hobfoll, S.E. and Walfisch, S. (1986). Stressful events, mastery, and depression: An evaluation of crisis theory. Journal of Community Psychology, 14 (2), 183-195. https://doi.org/10.1002/1520-6629(198604)14:2<183::AID-JCOP2290140209>3.0.CO;2-Q

Isserlin L, Zerach, G, and Solomon, Z. (2010). Acute Stress Responses: A Review and Synthesis of ASD, ASR, and CSR. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 78 (4), 423-429.

https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014304

Janka, A., Adler, C., Fischer, L. et al. (2015). Stress in crisis managers: evidence from self-report and psychophysiological assessments. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 38, 970–983 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-015-9654-1

LeWine, H.E. (2024). Understanding the stress response Chronic activation of this survival mechanism impairs health. Harvard Health Publishing https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response

Papadimitrious, A. and Priftis, K.N. (2009). Regulation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis. Neuroimmunomodulation (2009) 16 (5): 265–271.

https://doi.org/10.1159/000216184

Svetlitzky, V, Farchi, M. Yehuda, A.B. Adler, A.B. (2020). Witnessing Acute Stress Reaction in Team Members: The Moderating Effect of Peer-Based Training. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 208(10):p 803-809, October 2020.

DOI: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000001218

Yang Y, Sun Y, Zhang Y, Jiang Y, Tang J, et al. (2013). Bifactor Item Response Theory Model of Acute Stress Response. PLOS ONE 8(6): e65291. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0065291