TY - JOUR
T1 - Post-disaster stressful life events and WTC-related posttraumatic stress, depressive symptoms, and overall functioning among responders to the World Trade Center disaster
AU - Zvolensky, Michael J.
AU - Kotov, Roman
AU - Schechter, Clyde B.
AU - Gonzalez, Adam
AU - Vujanovic, Anka
AU - Pietrzak, Robert H.
AU - Crane, Michael
AU - Kaplan, Julia
AU - Moline, Jacqueline
AU - Southwick, Steven M.
AU - Feder, Adriana
AU - Udasin, Iris
AU - Reissman, Dori B.
AU - Luft, Benjamin J.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2014.
PY - 2015/2/1
Y1 - 2015/2/1
N2 - Background: The current study examined contributions of post-disaster stressful life events in relation to the maintenance of WTC-related posttraumatic stress, depressive symptoms, and overall functioning among rescue, recovery, and clean-up workers who responded to the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center (WTC) terrorist attacks. Methods: Participants were 18,896 WTC responders, including 8466 police officers and 10,430 non-traditional responders (85.8% male, 86.4% Caucasian; Mage=39.5, SD=8.8) participating in the WTC Health Program who completed an initial examination between July, 2002 and April, 2010 and who were reassessed, on average, 2.5 years later. Results: Path analyses were conducted to evaluate contributions of life events to the maintenance of WTC-related posttraumatic stress, depressive symptoms, and overall functioning. These analyses were stratified by police and non-traditional responder groups and adjusted for age, sex, time from 9/11 to initial visit, WTC exposures (three WTC contextual exposures: co-worker, friend, or a relative died in the disaster; co-worker, friend, or a relative injured in the disaster; and responder was exposed to the dust cloud on 9/11), and interval from initial to first follow-up visit. In both groups, WTC-related posttraumatic stress, depressive symptoms, and overall functioning were stable over the follow-up period. WTC exposures were related to these three outcomes at the initial assessment. WTC-related posttraumatic stress, depressive symptoms, and overall functioning, at the initial assessment each predicted the occurrence of post-disaster stressful life events, as measured by Disaster Supplement of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule. Post-disaster stressful life events, in turn, were associated with subsequent mental health, indicating partial mediation of the stability of observed mental health. Conclusions: The present findings suggest a dynamic interplay between exposure, post-disaster stressful life events, and WTC-related posttraumatic stress, depressive symptoms, and overall functioning among WTC disaster responders.
AB - Background: The current study examined contributions of post-disaster stressful life events in relation to the maintenance of WTC-related posttraumatic stress, depressive symptoms, and overall functioning among rescue, recovery, and clean-up workers who responded to the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center (WTC) terrorist attacks. Methods: Participants were 18,896 WTC responders, including 8466 police officers and 10,430 non-traditional responders (85.8% male, 86.4% Caucasian; Mage=39.5, SD=8.8) participating in the WTC Health Program who completed an initial examination between July, 2002 and April, 2010 and who were reassessed, on average, 2.5 years later. Results: Path analyses were conducted to evaluate contributions of life events to the maintenance of WTC-related posttraumatic stress, depressive symptoms, and overall functioning. These analyses were stratified by police and non-traditional responder groups and adjusted for age, sex, time from 9/11 to initial visit, WTC exposures (three WTC contextual exposures: co-worker, friend, or a relative died in the disaster; co-worker, friend, or a relative injured in the disaster; and responder was exposed to the dust cloud on 9/11), and interval from initial to first follow-up visit. In both groups, WTC-related posttraumatic stress, depressive symptoms, and overall functioning were stable over the follow-up period. WTC exposures were related to these three outcomes at the initial assessment. WTC-related posttraumatic stress, depressive symptoms, and overall functioning, at the initial assessment each predicted the occurrence of post-disaster stressful life events, as measured by Disaster Supplement of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule. Post-disaster stressful life events, in turn, were associated with subsequent mental health, indicating partial mediation of the stability of observed mental health. Conclusions: The present findings suggest a dynamic interplay between exposure, post-disaster stressful life events, and WTC-related posttraumatic stress, depressive symptoms, and overall functioning among WTC disaster responders.
KW - Depression
KW - Disaster
KW - Stress exposure
KW - Stress generation
KW - Trauma
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2014.11.010
DO - 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2014.11.010
M3 - Article
C2 - 25499737
AN - SCOPUS:84921593534
SN - 0022-3956
VL - 61
SP - 97
EP - 105
JO - Journal of Psychiatric Research
JF - Journal of Psychiatric Research
ER -