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Objectives The aim of this article is to present the impact of stress on the professionals who work in the uniformed services of the police, fire department, correctional department, therefore such individuals who are carrying out their chores under conditions of being particularly at risk of experiencing various types of traumatic incidents. Material and methods The article, based on the both theoretical and empirical researches of the experts of this issue, presents the main criteria, symptoms and factors conditioning development of the post-traumatic stress disorder. It also presents data indicating the scale of this phenomenon and the effects of the trauma associated with acting a stressful professional role. Results The prevalence of traumatic events around the world is increasing. It is estimated that ca. 70% of the population has experienced in their life this kind of occurrence, while the post-traumatic stress disorder is considered as one of the most severe of its consequences, leading to negative psychosomatic symptoms, which disorganise a hitherto functioning in all of the life spheres. Conclusions The aspects addressed in this article, represent a cognitive value, since they expose the widely understood traumatic situation of the individuals working in the high-risk professions. Furthermore, another value added of this paper is its diagnostic character due to the presentation of the knowledge not only about the issue of trauma, but also of the criteria of the post-traumatic stress disorder.

Background: The birth of premature infants and their admission to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) causes emotional stress in parents and in the whole family. This event can affect the interaction between family members and disrupt the family’s environment. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to estimate the family environment, the parental stressors and the level of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the parents of premature infants admitted to NICU. Methods: This descriptive-analytic study was conducted in the two NICUs of a Specialized and Educational Hospital in South-East of Iran. A total of 140 parents (70 mothers and 70 fathers) were enrolled in the study using convenience sampling method. The data collection tool included a demographic questionnaire of parents and neonates, a Family Environment Scale (FES), a Parental Stressor Scale (PSS), and the Impact of Event Scale – Revised (IES-R). Data analysis was carried out using descriptive and inferential statistics, including independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation co-efficient in SPSS® ver. 18. Results: The family environment was evaluated at the moderate level by mothers and fathers in the FES, with mean scores of 97.48 ± 11.46 and 98.70 ± 10.50, respectively. The mean score of parental stressors in the PSS was moderate in mothers (2.90 ± 0.86) and low in fathers (2.55 ± 0.90). Also, the mean PTSD score in the IES-R was moderate in fathers (35.10 ± 18.79) and in mothers (43.01 ± 17.14). The results showed no significant relationship between family environment and PTSD in mothers (r = 0.11, p = 0.36) and fathers (r = 0.04, p = 0.75), but a significant relationship was found for both parents in terms of parental stressors and PTSD (mothers: r = 0.48, p = 0.0001; fathers: r = 0.59, p = 0.0001). Conclusion: The results revealed that family environment scores and PTSD scores in parents of premature infants were at the moderate level. The parents who experienced stressors without adequate support were at risk for PTSD. In this regard, parents should be considered as patients by the healthcare team who, recognizing signs of parental stress early, could play an important role in preventing adverse effects of stress on parents themselves and on the infants. Educational and counseling interventions by NICU nurses can help parents to adapt to NICU environment and to use coping strategies to manage stress, promote family cohesion, and reduce the risk of PTSD.

Due to his untimely death in battle, Wilfred Owen was never able to publish his poems; his surviving work consists only of interrupted compositional processes. As a philological study of “The Send-Off” reveals, the available documentation is often problematic: Owen’s writing procedure is characterized by a non-linear path, dotted with a stream of unresolved textual possibilities. Through an analysis of the main tendencies which characterize “The Send-Off”, this article proposes to explore some new aspects of the texts. In particular, it sheds new light on a web of connections among recurring ideas and themes in the poem, which offers a complex and multifaceted picture of both the war experience and its effects on the soldiers.

Due to his untimely death in battle, Wilfred Owen was never able to publish his poems; his surviving work consists only of interrupted compositional processes. As a philological study of "The Send-Off" reveals, the available documentation is often problematic: Owen's writing procedure is characterized by a non-linear path, dotted with a stream of unresolved textual possibilities. Through an analysis of the main tendencies which characterize "The Send-Off", this article proposes to explore some new aspects of the texts. In particular, it sheds new light on a web of connections among recurring ideas and themes in the poem, which offers a complex and multifaceted picture of both the war experience and its effects on the soldiers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]