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Aftermath of Terror: A Nationwide Longitudinal Study of Posttraumatic Stress and Worry Across the Decade Following the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks
Author(s) -
Garfin Dana Rose,
Poulin Michael J.,
Blum Scott,
Silver Roxane Cohen
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1002/jts.22262
Subject(s) - worry , terrorism , medicine , psychiatry , injury prevention , cohort , demography , poison control , suicide prevention , cohort study , occupational safety and health , psychology , anxiety , medical emergency , geography , archaeology , pathology , sociology
Research conducted in the early years after the September 11, 2001 (9/11) terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC demonstrated adverse psychological outcomes among residents of the United States who were exposed to the attacks both directly and indirectly via the media. However, less is known about the impact of this collective trauma over time. Beginning at the end of December 2006, a longitudinal study of a nationally representative sample of U.S. residents (Cohort 2, N = 1,613) examined the long‐term effects of 9/11, with annual assessments administered every year for 3 years. We assessed rates of 9/11‐related posttraumatic stress (PTS) annually during the first 2 years of the study; during the second and third years of the study, we assessed fear and worry regarding future terrorism. Rates of PTS among participants were compared with those assessed annually in a nationally representative sample between 2002 and 2004 (Cohort 1); results indicated a relatively stable pattern of 9/11‐related PTS symptoms for 6 years following the attacks. Five to six years after 9/11, we found an association between 9/11‐related PTS and both direct, B = 8.45, 95% CI [4.32, 12.59] and media‐based (live television), B = 1.78, 95% CI [0.90, 2.65] exposure to the attacks. Six to 7 years post‐9/11, fear and worry regarding future terrorism were predicted by 9/11‐related PTS symptoms that had been reported approximately 5 years after the attacks, B = 0.04, 95% CI [0.03, 0.05]. The psychological legacy of 9/11 was perceptible among many U.S. residents throughout the decade that followed.