Section I: Introduction: Focusing on the Community in the Case of Extreme Stress -- 1. The Community Context of Disaster and Traumatic Stress: An Ecological Perspective from Community Psychology -- Section II: Basic Stress Concepts and Where They Lead in the Study of Community Stress -- 2. Disasters, Stress and Cognition -- 3. Temperament Risk Factor: The Contribution of Temperament to the Consequences of the State of Stress -- 4. Coping with the Loss of a Family Member: Implications for Community-Level Research and Intervention -- 5. Individual and Community Stress: Integration of Approaches at Different Levels -- Section III: Resources to Offset Stress: Applications to the Community Context -- 6. Community Stress and Resources: Actions and Reactions -- 7. Optimistic Self-Beliefs as a Resource Factor in Coping with Stress -- 8. Stress and Social Support -- Section IV: Bridges to Community Stress -- 9. Prevention of the Consequences of Man-Made or Natural Disaster at the (Inter)National, the Community, the Family, and the Individual Level -- 10. The Pathogenic Effects of War Stress: The Israeli Experience -- 11. Stress and Diasaster -- 12. Methodological Issues in Designing Research on Community-Wide Disasters with Special Reference to Chernobyl -- 13. Research Methods and Directions: Establishing the Community Context -- Section V: Long-Term Effects of Community Stress -- 14. Long-Term Consequences of Disasters -- 15. Endurance and Living: Long-Term Effects of the Holocaust -- 16. Reverberation Theory: Stress and Racism in Hierarchically Structured Communities -- 17. Culture, Community and Catastrophe: Issues in Understanding Communities under Difficult Conditions -- Section VI: Prevention and Intervention -- 18. Preventive Psychosocial Intervention after Disaster -- 19. The Treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder -- 20. Strategies of Disaster Intervention for Children and Adolescents -- 21. Catalyzing Community Support -- 22. Prevention and Treatment of Community Stress: How to be a Mental Health Expert at the Time of Disaster -- 23. Intervention Strategies for Emergency Response Groups: A New Conceptual Framework -- Conclusions: Addressing Communities under Extreme Stress.