Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Traumatic Stress

Traumatic stress is the psychological and physiological response that follows exposure to events involving actual or threatened death, serious injury, or other profound threat to physical or emotional integrity. When acute reactions persist, they may meet criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder, characterized by…

Curated from this journal's research 📚 12 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 74× across the literature 🔖 ISSN 2766-6204 🗓 Reviewed June 2026

Overview

Traumatic stress is the psychological and physiological response that follows exposure to events involving actual or threatened death, serious injury, or other profound threat to physical or emotional integrity. When acute reactions persist, they may meet criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder, characterized by intrusive re-experiencing such as flashbacks and nightmares, avoidance of reminders, negative alterations in mood and cognition, and heightened arousal. The response engages the stress neurobiology, including dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and altered cortisol signalling, which links subjective distress to measurable physiological change. Traumatic stress can follow single events or repeated and secondary exposure, the latter affecting caregivers and healthcare workers through secondary traumatic stress and compassion fatigue. Research in this area examines burnout and secondary traumatic stress among maternal and neonatal healthcare staff, the relationship between trauma-related reactions and post-traumatic stress symptoms, and cognitive-analytic and other therapeutic approaches. Further work addresses cortisol stress responses and their modulation, including studies of bilateral alternating somatosensory stimulation, maternal behaviour and attachment-related cortisol, and support for partners of veterans with PTSD. The field integrates clinical psychology, psychiatry, and stress physiology. The journal publishes peer-reviewed research on traumatic stress, including post-traumatic stress disorder, secondary traumatic stress, and the neuroendocrine stress response.

Research published in this journal

12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 12 articles above have been cited 74 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Traumatic Stress, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in Medical and Psychological Trauma (ISSN 2766-6204).

Journal editorial board
Cecilia Young · Hong Kong Andrea Biscardi · Italy Cristian Vasile · Romania

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.