Acute stress disorder or acute stress reaction is a psychological condition that occurs in response to an extremely traumatic stressor. This usually last a minimum of 2 days to a maximum of 4 weeks and must occur within 4 weeks of the trauma. If symptoms are present for longer than 4 weeks the diagnosis is changed to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Symptoms experienced are similar to PTSD and include numbness or detachment and decreased or absent emotional responsiveness. Derealization, depersonalization and inability to recall the traumatic event.
When Col. John Jacob Astor IV went down on the Titanic, at age 48, he left behind a pregnant widow, Madeleine Force Astor, who was 19 years old; a daughter, Alice who was ten, and his son Vincent who was just turning 21.
Men in third class experienced the largest fatality rate. Only about 20% of men on the ship itself survived, and of the 1,517 fatalities on the ship, 1,347 were men. Most of the crew was also lost during the sinking of the Titanic. Out of the 899 crew members on board, 685 went down with the ship. Titanic survivors were mostly men and women. About 74% of the women survived as did about 52% of the children. All the children from first and second class survived, while most of the loss of child life came from third class. The Titanic had the capacity to hold 32 lifeboats, but this was not mandatory under maritime law of the time.