Adolescents react to the events of September 11, 2001: focused versus ambient impact.
This study examined the perceived impact of the events of September 11, 2001, on adolescents distant from the disaster sites and compared these perceptions with changes in everyday moods. A survey of reactions to September 11 was completed 2-5 months after the events by 171 adolescents participating in a longitudinal study of stress and health. Electronic diary ratings of contemporaneous moods before and after the attacks were also compared. Many adolescents distant from the disaster sites reported changes in everyday activities and signs of distress along with some positive outcomes. Elevated levels of negative affect emerged when adolescents were asked directly about the event (focused impact), but no changes were detected in their ongoing, momentary mood reports before and after September 11 (ambient impact). Trait and electronic diary measures of anxiety independently predicted posttraumatic distress. Refined assessments are needed to evaluate the degree to which self-reported traumatic symptoms reflect significant clinical distress versus an attentional focus generated by the question-asking process.
Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, 3340 Social Ecology II, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, USA. ckwhalen@uci.edu
Carol K
CK
Whalen
Barbara
B
Henker
Pamela S
PS
King
Larry D
LD
Jamner
Linda
L
Levine
D000293:Adolescent; D000339:Affect; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology; D002140:California; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000209:etiology; D023481:Terrorism / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States