Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 22, 2026

Measuring Attentional Biases for Threat in Children and Adults
08:25

Measuring Attentional Biases for Threat in Children and Adults

Published on: October 19, 2014

The 9/11 experience: who's listening to the children?

Harold S Koplewicz1, Marylene Cloitre, Kimberly Reyes

  • 1New York University Child Study Center, 577 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA. harold.koplewicz@msnyuhealth.org

The Psychiatric Clinics of North America
|August 25, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Children exposed to the September 11th attacks developed significant psychiatric disorders and distress. Despite available mental health services, a gap exists between their needs and actual service utilization, requiring further investigation into contributing factors.

Area of Science:

  • Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
  • Trauma Psychology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks led to widespread psychological distress in children.
  • Post-9/11, many children exhibited psychiatric disorders and functional impairments.
  • Despite resources, a gap in mental health service utilization by affected children was observed.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify factors contributing to the gap between mental health needs and service use in children post-9/11.
  • To explore potential remedies for improving mental health service access for pediatric populations affected by trauma.

Main Methods:

  • Qualitative analysis of factors influencing service access.
  • Review of existing mental health service provision and utilization data.
  • Identification of barriers and facilitators to care.

Main Results:

  • Significant psychological distress and psychiatric disorders were documented in children post-9/11.
  • A notable disparity exists between identified mental health needs and the use of available services.
  • Several factors impede service utilization, despite financial support and provider availability.

Conclusions:

  • Addressing the mental health needs of children post-9/11 requires understanding and overcoming barriers to care.
  • Interventions should focus on bridging the gap between documented need and service use.
  • Further research is needed to develop effective strategies for supporting pediatric mental health after mass trauma events.

More Related Videos

An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime07:36

An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime

Published on: May 3, 2016

Related Concept Videos

Flashbulb Memory01:16

Flashbulb Memory

A flashbulb memory is a highly vivid and detailed memory, often linked to events of significant emotional impact. These memories stand out in contrast to everyday memories due to their clarity and the precision with which they are recalled. The strong emotions associated with the event act as a catalyst, ensuring that specific details, such as one's location, actions, and even peripheral elements, are etched into memory with remarkable accuracy. For example, many people can vividly recall where...
Traumatic Memory01:20

Traumatic Memory

Emotionally traumatic events often lead to memories that are exceptionally vivid and enduring, sometimes persisting with remarkable clarity throughout an individual's life. A classic example of this phenomenon is a person who survives a car accident. Even years later, they may recall every detail of the event with startling accuracy — the screeching of the tires, the jarring impact, and the acrid smell of burning rubber. Such vividness contrasts sharply with how an individual remembers mundane...
Bullying02:04

Bullying

A modern form of aggression is bullying. As you learn in your study of child development, socializing and playing with other children is beneficial for children’s psychological development. However, as you may have experienced as a child, not all play behavior has positive outcomes. Some children are aggressive and want to play roughly. Other children are selfish and do not want to share toys. One form of negative social interactions among children that has become a national concern is bullying.
Bystander Effect02:09

Bystander Effect

The discussion of bullying highlights the problem of witnesses not intervening to help a victim. This is a common occurrence, as the following well-publicized event demonstrates. In 1964, in Queens, New York, a 19-year-old woman named Kitty Genovese was attacked by a person with a knife near the back entrance to her apartment building and again in the hallway inside her apartment building. When the attack occurred, she screamed for help numerous times and eventually died from her stab wounds.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder01:27

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric condition that arises following exposure to traumatic events such as natural disasters, forced displacement, or severe accidents. It significantly impairs individuals' ability to cope with daily activities and disrupts their emotional and psychological equilibrium.
Symptoms and Behavioral Manifestations
A spectrum of distressing symptoms characterizes PTSD. Recurrent flashbacks, where individuals involuntarily relive traumatic events, are a...
Eyewitness Memory01:22

Eyewitness Memory

Eyewitness memory refers to the recollection of events by someone who has directly witnessed them, often serving as critical evidence in legal settings. This type of memory is commonly used in criminal cases where a witness describes details like a suspect's appearance, clothing, or behavior during a crime. However, despite its perceived reliability, eyewitness memory is prone to significant errors.
One such error is memory distortion, which occurs because human memory does not function like a...