Critique and review of essays one and two

Shea, K.P. (2010). The effects of combat related stress on learning in an academic environment:

A qualitative case study (Order No. 3438652). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (848634793). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/848634793?accountid=25340

The effects of combat-related stress are well-documented. The subject of this dissertation, however, was to examine how residual combat-related stress affected the performance of Army personnel in an academic environment. The study was qualitative in nature and profiled eleven students at the Army's Command and General Staff College (CGSC) along with an Army psychiatrist, a Department of Army civilian psychologist, a CGSC faculty focus group, and an Army chaplain to further contextualize their experience. The source of the soldiers' problems were reported relating to making the transition back and forth from combat to academic to family settings as well as residual stigma to seeking mental health services. The study is significant given how it demonstrates that even if soldiers have survived combat, they may still struggle academically. Moreover, the GI Bill and other programs to support entry into various academic settings underlines the fact that may soldiers will be in a situation which requires them to adapt to a non-combat, educational setting. Institutions must be prepared to provide support and destigmatize therapy. Stresses upon the students were cumulative in nature and students experiencing marital problems, insomnia, and other problems associated with being in the Army reported greater academic difficulties than those that had fewer stresses.

Literature review:

Shea, K.P. (2010). The effects of combat related stress on learning in an academic environment:

A qualitative case study (Order No. 3438652). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (848634793). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/848634793?accountid=25340

This dissertation by Shea (2010) on combat-related stress suffered by soldiers in an academic environment first commences with a literature review related to combat-related stresses dating from World War I onward. It also examines the various ways in which the human brain is affected on a physiological level by combat-related stress. Stress has been well-documented not only in relation to those serving in the military but also in other high-risk service occupations such as policing. This is followed by an analysis of instruments to test for stress in a variety of contexts, including the Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory which lists 43 events that are all considered stressful occurrences in daily life (Shea 2010: 35). Although not specifically related to combat stress, the Inventory is relevant given that many soldiers are experiencing personal, non-combat related stress that is then compounded with the stresses of the battlefield and later the stresses of the classroom. A study of stresses at work shows that stress can contribute to a deficit in higher-level reasoning amongst employees. The constant physiological experience of the 'flight or fight' mechanism is associated with a higher risk of diabetes, cardiac issues, hypertension, and other problems which can similarly compound stress in a soldier's life.