Perievent panic attack and depression after the World Trade Center disaster: a structural equation model analysis

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychology
• Trauma Studies

Background:

• Perievent panic attacks, occurring near traumatic events, are linked to subsequent mental health issues, including depression.
• Understanding the temporal relationship between panic, stressors, and depression is crucial for post-disaster mental health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the predictive relationship between perievent panic attacks and the onset of depression.
• To examine the influence of pre-disaster psychological status, post-disaster life events, and psychosocial resources on depression onset following the World Trade Center Disaster.

Main Methods:

• A community sample of New York City residents was surveyed 1 and 2 years post-disaster.
• Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the complex causal pathways.
• Variables included pre-disaster psychological status, perievent panic, post-disaster stressors, and psychosocial resources.

Main Results:

• Bivariate analyses showed a significant association between perievent panic and depression at both 1 and 2 years.
• SEM indicated perievent panic predicted year-1 depression, but not year-2 depression after controlling for confounders.
• Year-2 stressors and psychosocial resources were the strongest predictors of year-2 depression onset.

Conclusions:

• Perievent panic is an important predictor of short-term depression onset after trauma.
• Long-term depression is better explained by a combination of ongoing stressors and available psychosocial resources.
• A comprehensive model incorporating pre- and post-disaster factors is essential for understanding depression development after mass traumatic events.