Risk factors do not automatically mean a Sailor will be hurt by excessive stress, but good leadership requires that you be aware of them. They include:
- Duration of current deployment more than six months
- Repeat deployments without sufficient time to recover and reset
- Sleeping less than 6 to 8 hours per day on average
- Witnessing death close up
- Being responsible for the death or serious injury of a non-combatant
- Losing a close friend or valued leader in combat or other operations
- Witnessing or participating in violations of the Law of War and the Navy code of conduct
- Being physically injured, especially if seriously
- Sustaining a traumatic brain injury
- Close brushes with death, especially if the individual believed he or she was going to die
- Handling human remains
- History of previous stress injuries, whether sustained during or prior to Navy service
- Previous psychological health problems
- Being new to the unit or lacking mutual trust with other unit members
- Family separation, personal relationship problems, financial difficulties or other home-front stressors
- Being young and inexperienced
4 Sources Of Stress Injuries