Secondary Traumatic Stress [STS] is a constellation of conditions ranging from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)-like symptoms to transformative cognitive shifts in self and world view. Prior to the mid 1990's much of the STS research focused on emergency responders (Arvay, M.J. 2001, Arvay & Uhlemann 2001), human service providers (Follette et al 1996, Bride 1995), and on one type of STS--vicarious traumatization. Since the mid 1990's STS research has increased in scope and volume, yet, little is known about how mental health practitioners experience Secondary Traumatic Stress.

Using a random sample of more than 4000 veterans, we test the effects of combat exposure on mental health. We focus on two cohorts of veterans: those who served in Vietnam (1964-1975) and the Gulf War (1990-1991). Combat exposure differed between these groups in intensity, duration and elapsed time since exposure. We find that combat exposure generally, and exposure to dead, dying, or wounded people, specifically, is a significant predictor of mental health declines as measured by an individual's Mental Component Summary score.

Affect regulation is often compromised as a result of early life interpersonal traumatization and disruption in caregiving relationships like in situations where the caretaker is emotionally, sexually or physically abusing the child. Prior studies suggest a clear relationship between early childhood attachment-related psychological trauma and affect dysregulation.

OBJECTIVE: The notion that traumatic experiences in childhood may predict later psychotic outcomes would be strengthened if a plausible mechanism could be demonstrated. Because increased stress sensitivity is part of the behavioural expression of psychosis liability, the possible mediating role of childhood trauma was investigated. METHOD: Fifty patients with psychosis were studied with the experience sampling method to assess stress reactivity in daily life, defined as emotional and psychotic reactivity to stress.