Hidden Wounds of War: Dr. Bill Nash - Understanding Combat and Occupational Stress Injuries

Occupational stress injuries exist as enduring states of suffering and impairment directly caused by exposure to one or more extreme stressors on the job. All of the occupations at greatest risk of experiencing stress injuries and illnesses such as Complex PTSD and burnout are directly responsible for the welfare of others. In this presentation, Dr. Nash will review the evidence that the work-related stressor events most likely to inflict an injury are those involving the betrayal of important moral trusts, the loss of cherished people or things, and extreme physical danger. Additionally, the data demonstrates that pre-existing risk factors for stress-related illness, such as gender, race, or past life hardships, are insignificant compared with the impact of stressor events, themselves, other peri-event factors such as peritraumatic dissociation, and post-event factors such as social support.