TY - JOUR
PY - 2015//
TI - World Trade Center disaster and sensitization to subsequent life stress: a longitudinal study of disaster responders
JO - Preventive medicine
A1 - Zvolensky, Michael J.
A1 - Farris, Samantha G.
A1 - Kotov, Roman
A1 - Schechter, Clyde B.
A1 - Bromet, Evelyn
A1 - Gonzalez, Adam
A1 - Vujanovic, Anka
A1 - Pietrzak, Robert H.
A1 - Crane, Michael
A1 - Kaplan, Julia
A1 - Moline, Jacqueline
A1 - Southwick, Steven M.
A1 - Feder, Adriana
A1 - Udasin, Iris
A1 - Reissman, Dori B.
A1 - Luft, Benjamin J.
SP - 70
EP - 74
VL - 75
IS -
N2 - PURPOSE: The current study examined the role of World Trade Center (WTC) disaster exposure (hours spent working on the site, dust cloud exposure, and losing friend/loved one) in exacerbating the effects of post-disaster life stress on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and overall functioning among WTC responders.
METHOD: Participants were 18,896 responders (8,466 police officers and 10,430 non-traditional responders) participating in the WTC Health Program who completed an initial examination between July, 2002 and April, 2010 and were reassessed an average of two years later.
RESULTS: Among police responders, there was a significant interaction, such that the effect of post-disaster life stress on later PTSD symptoms and overall functioning was stronger among police responders who had greater WTC disaster exposure (β's =.029 and.054, respectively, for PTSD symptoms and overall functioning). This moderating effect was absent in non-traditional responders. Across both groups, post-disaster life stress also consistently was related to the dependent variables in a more robust manner than WTC exposure.
DISCUSSION: The present findings suggest that WTC exposure may compound post-disaster life stress, thereby resulting in a more chronic course of PTSD symptoms and reduced functioning among police responders. Language: en
LA - en
SN - 0091-7435
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2015.03.017
ID - ref1
ER -