Biobehavioral Resilience to Stress PDF

Foreword

Military service involves exposure to multiple sources of chronic, acute, and potentially traumatic stress, especially during deployment and combat. Such stress can aff ect not only short- and long-term health but also human performance and even survival. Military experience over the last two decades has focused signifi cant attention on previously underemphasized health threats ranging from stress disorders to traumatic brain injury, a grouping of medical conditions that science may show is a continuum. Th is volume summarizes what recent research has determined about stress and brain injury, identifi es questions still to be answered, and suggests priorities for scientifi c inquiry.

Th e desired outcome of increased understanding of stress and injuries aff ecting cognitive function is an enhanced ability to promote and build resilience in military personnel. Th is outcome will benefi t the individual, the unit, the mission, and the national defense. Science related to stress resilience is militarily important to the extent that it off ers practical applications in areas such as human performance optimization, health protection and readiness, operational risk management, and reduction of fi rst-term attrition. It is ethically and militarily essential to promote psychological preparedness among active duty members and reservists whose service may involve stressors such as prolonged deployments in extreme environments, exposure to insurgent warfare, sleep deprivation, and general physiological stress. Research that supports a preventive strategy and tools or methods to improve personal resilience will reduce the human, organizational, and fi nancial costs associated with military psychiatric casualties, mental health intervention, and the need for long-term care.