What effects did the trenches have on soldiers mental and physical health?


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Disease and ‘shell shock’ were rampant in the trenches. As they were often effectively trapped in the trenches for long periods of time, under nearly constant bombardment, many soldiers suffered from “shell shock,” the debilitating mental illness known today as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

How did the use of trenches impact the health of the soldiers?

Rats and lice tormented the troops by day and night. Oversized rats, bloated by the food and waste of stationary armies, helped spread disease and were a constant irritant. In 1918, doctors also identified lice as the cause of trench fever, which plagued the troops with headaches, fevers, and muscle pain.

How did WWI affect soldiers physically and mentally?

Psychological trauma experienced during the war had an unprecedented toll on veterans, many of whom suffered symptoms for the rest of their lives. These ranged from distressing memories that veterans found difficult to forget, to extreme episodes of catatonia and terror when reminded of their trauma.

How did trench warfare benefit soldiers?

During World War I, trench warfare was a defensive military tactic used extensively by both sides, allowing soldiers some protection from enemy fire but also hindering troops from readily advancing and thus prolonging the war. Trench warfare was the major combat tactic in France and Belgium.

How did ww1 impact mental health?

In the history of psychiatry, the First World War is often identified with the rise of the disorder of “shellshock.” Referred to at the time most often as “war neurosis,” the malady was characterized by a common core of possible symptoms: tics, convulsions, muscle spasms, paralyses, shakes, and problems in memory were …

What were trenches like 3 facts?

  • Trench warfare was started by the Germans in The First World War.
  • There was 2,490 kilometres of trench lines dug during the First World War.
  • Most trenches were between 1-2 metres wide and 3 metres deep.
  • Trenches weren’t dug in straight lines.

How do trenches protect soldiers?

The embanked rear lip of the trench was called the parados, which protected the soldier’s back from shells falling behind the trench. The sides of the trench were often revetted with sandbags, wire mesh, wooden frames and sometimes roofs. The floor of the trench was usually covered by wooden duckboards.

What was the main purpose of trenches?

Trenches provided relative protection against increasingly lethal weaponry. Soldiers dug in to defend themselves against shrapnel and bullets. On the Western Front, trenches began as simple ditches and evolved into complex networks stretching over 250 miles (402 kilometres) through France and Belgium.

What were the results of trench warfare?

In battle, soldiers had to charge out of the trenches and across no-man’s land into a hail of bullets and shrapnel and poison gas. They were easy targets and casualties were enormously high. By the end of 1914, after just five months of fighting, the number of dead and wounded exceeded four million men.

How does war affect soldiers mentally?

During war, people can be exposed to many different traumatic events. That raises the chances of developing mental health problemsโ€”like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depressionโ€”and poorer life outcomes as adults.

What are the physical effects of war?

Death, injury, sexual violence, malnutrition, illness, and disability are some of the most threatening physical consequences of war, while post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety are some of the emotional effects.

What was used to help soldiers see over top of the trenches?

Periscopes like this one were used to observe activity across no man’s land without having to be exposed directly to enemy fire during WWI. Periscopes like this were used to observe activity across no man’s land without having to be exposed directly to enemy fire during WWI.

What are the benefits of trenches?

Trenches provided protection from bullets and shells, but they did carry their own risks. Trench foot, trench fever, dysentery, and cholera could inflict casualties as readily as any enemy.

What effect did the use of trenches and new technologies?

What effect did the use of trenches and new technologies during World War I have? Warfare was far deadlier than in the past and resulted in enormous casualties. There were fewer battlefield casualties than in the past. The war concluded much earlier than earlier wars.

What were the physical and psychological effects of this new kind of warfare?

What were the physical and psychological effects of this new kind of warfare? This new warfare caused physical ailments such as trench foot and psychological ailments such as shell shock.

How did soldiers cope after ww1?

Rest and recreation played some part in the resilience of British troops, who were able to enjoy some of the leisure activities they enjoyed in civilian life during regular times away from the Front: music hall, cinema and organised sports offered some form of respite.

What did they call it before PTSD?

But PTSDโ€”known to previous generations as shell shock, soldier’s heart, combat fatigue or war neurosisโ€”has roots stretching back centuries and was widely known during ancient times.

Do soldiers still get shell shock?

The term shell shock is still used by the United States’ Department of Veterans Affairs to describe certain parts of PTSD, but mostly it has entered into memory, and it is often identified as the signature injury of the War.

How did soldiers sleep in trenches?

Getting to sleep When able to rest, soldiers in front line trenches would try and shelter from the elements in dugouts. These varied from deep underground shelters to small hollows in the side of trenches โ€“ as shown here.

What are 5 facts about trench warfare?

  • #1 Trench Warfare in WW1 was started by Germans to avoid losing ground.
  • #2 Hundreds of miles of Trench Systems were built.
  • #3 Trench systems became elaborate with time.
  • #4 They were built in a zig-zag pattern.
  • #5 Trench systems usually had two more supporting lines.

Do WW1 trenches still exist?

A few of these places are private or public sites with original or reconstructed trenches preserved as a museum or memorial. Nevertheless, there are still remains of trenches to be found in remote parts of the battlefields such as the woods of the Argonne, Verdun and the mountains of the Vosges.

What did soldiers do in the trenches for fun?

In their spare time, soldiers wrote letters and diaries, drew sketches, read books and magazines, pursued hobbies, played cards or gambled. There were also opportunities for more-organised social activities.

Who has the best trenches in ww1?

Differences Between German and British Trenches: Main difference between the two trenches was that the Germans dug their trenches first, which meant they got the better soil conditions because they dug their trenches on higher ground compared to the British trenches.

How would you survive in the trenches?

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Why do you think soldiers were rotated in the trenches?

Soldiers rotated into and out of the front lines to provide a break from the stress of combat. They spent four to six days in the front trenches before moving back and spending an equal number of days in the secondary and, finally, the reserve trenches.

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