Stress Inoculation Training

Extreme events can trigger extreme reactions. The type and extent of those reactions can depend on many factors, including genetic predisposition, race, gender, upbringing and early childhood experiences, prior mental health problems, age, and education. [Page 653]When individuals encounter an extreme event outside their typical experience, there is little they can do to change these predisposing factors. However, individuals can learn skills to make themselves more resilient against the stress of extreme events and thereby reduce subsequent ill effects as well as make them able to recover more successfully. Stress inoculation training (SIT), a skill-based approach, has been developed for just such a purpose. This entry describes the three phases of stress inoculation training and discusses applications of SIT for primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention, ...