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Related Experiment Videos

PTSD following terrorist attacks: a prospective evaluation.

Arieh Y Shalev1, Sara Freedman

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Hadassah University Hospital, P.O. Box 12000, Jerusalem, Israel. ashalev@cc.huji.ac.il

The American Journal of Psychiatry
|June 3, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Survivors of terrorist attacks have higher rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than motor vehicle accident survivors. Early PTSD symptoms reliably predict later diagnosis, unaffected by continuous terrorism.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Trauma Studies
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a significant concern for survivors of traumatic events.
  • Terrorist attacks present unique challenges to mental health outcomes due to their pervasive and ongoing nature.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the prevalence of PTSD in terrorist attack survivors compared to motor vehicle accident survivors.
  • To examine the longitudinal course of early PTSD symptoms and the impact of continuous terrorism on these symptoms.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative study of terrorist attack survivors (N=39) and motor vehicle accident survivors (N=354).
  • Assessment of heart rate, peritraumatic dissociation, PTSD symptoms, anxiety, and depression at multiple time points (admission, 1 week, 4 months).

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  • Comparison of early PTSD symptom trajectories during high-terrorism versus low-terrorism periods.

    • Main Results:

    • Terrorist attack survivors exhibited significantly higher PTSD rates (37.8%) compared to motor vehicle accident survivors (18.7%).
    • Early PTSD symptoms, emergency room heart rate, and peritraumatic dissociation were predictive of PTSD diagnosis.
    • The frequency of terrorist attacks did not influence the longitudinal course of early PTSD symptoms.

    Conclusions:

    • Early PTSD symptoms serve as robust indicators of later PTSD development, irrespective of the traumatic event type or ongoing stressors.
    • Factors such as fear, adjustment, and resilience may mediate the impact of intense terrorism on PTSD symptom trajectories.