TRADOC Pam 525-3-7-01 - TRADOC - U.S. Army

TRADOC Pam 525-3-7-01stresses from environmental extremes, nutritional irregularity, sleep deprivation, primitive livingconditions, and dehydration. Even when the threat of violence is low, boredom, repetitive andunchallenging tasks, and ill-defined purpose provide their own share of operational stress. Asfigure 6-1 reflects, the psychological effects of combat and other operations are complex andvaried, not the result of a single type of stressor and affecting every individual differently. Thischart also reinforces the fact that stress effects can be cumulative rather than simply the result ofsingle traumatic events. Any combination of physical and mental stressors can contribute tostress casualties.Figure 6-1. Combat and Operational StressorsIn spite of the range of differences associated with the spectrum of future military operation,all Soldiers require emotional, cognitive, and behavioral control over common symptoms ofstress. It is common for Soldiers to experience the emotions of fear and hopelessness, moodswings, and anger. Soldiers may experience difficulties that are cognitive in nature, such asdifficulties concentrating, short-term memory loss, nightmares, and flashbacks. Soldiers mayalso act on this stress through behavior symptoms ranging from simple carelessness, toimpulsiveness, to insensitivity and animosity in their dealings with others, to acts of misconduct(fig 6-2). Growing evidence points to how many of the symptoms for stress overlap with138