ABSTRACT
The field of study focusing on psychological responses to traumatic stress, or "traumatology" as it is sometimes known, has expanded appreciably since the mid-1980s.1 This coincides with the acceptance of the diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder or its equivalent in modern editions of the main psychiatric diagnostic disorders. This has led to greater research and publication of findings. While much remains to be studied, it is clear that post traumatic stress disorder is not the only diagnosis that may be relevant to a response to traumatic stress, such as may be suffered by an employee in the course of his or her employment. It is also now apparent that responses to traumatic stress may be multi-dimensional, including responses both on a psychological and biological level. Much remains to be discovered, but continued research is also leading to ever better understandings of issues such as the aetiology of trauma.2
