Psychological Reactions to Terrorist Attacks: Findings From the National Study of Americans' Reactions to September 11

• NCJ Number: 196394
• Journal: Journal of American Medical Association Volume: 288 Issue: 5 Dated: August 7, 2002 Pages: 581-588
• Author(s): William E. Schlenger Ph.D.; Juesta M. Caddell Ph.D.; Lori Ebert Ph.D.; B. Kathleen Jordan Ph.D.; Kathryn M. Rourke M.P.E; David Wilson M.S.; Lisa Thalji M.A.; J. Michael Dennis Ph.D.; John A. Fairbank Ph.D.; Richard A. Kulka Ph.D.
• Date Published: August 2002
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Downloaded August 7, 2002

Annotation

This article discusses the unprecedented exposure to trauma after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the psychological symptom levels following the events of September 11, and to examine the association between post-attack symptoms and direct and indirect exposure to the events. The findings are from the National Study of Americans’ Reactions to September 11 (N-SARS), a Web-based descriptive epidemiological study based on a cross-sectional sample of adults using the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist and the Brief Symptom Inventory. The survey was administered to a sample of 2,273 adults 1 to 2 months following the attacks. There were over-samples of the New York City and Washington, DC metropolitan areas. Adults’ perceptions of the reactions of children in their households were also reported. Findings indicate self-reports of the symptoms of PTSD and of clinically significant non-specific psychological distress. Adults reported symptoms of distress among children living in their households. The prevalence of probable PTSD was significantly higher in the New York City metropolitan area than in Washington, DC, other major metropolitan areas, and the rest of the country. Overall distress levels across the country were within expected ranges for a general community sample. PTSD symptom levels were associated with sex, age, direct exposure to the attacks, and the amount of time spent viewing television coverage of the attacks on September 11 and the few days afterward. The broader distress measure was associated with an index of the content of that coverage. More than 60 percent of adults in New York City households with children reported that one or more children were upset by the attacks. Further research should document the course of symptoms and recovery among adults following exposure to the events and further specify the types and severity of distress in children. 5 tables, 28 references