Posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms in a college population one year after the September 11 attacks: the effect of proximity.
As a follow-up to our earlier report [Behav. Res. Ther., in press] on the level of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), depressive symptoms, and frequency of diagnoses of probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among college students at three public universities (Albany, NY, Augusta, GA, and Fargo, ND) resulting from the September 11, 2001. Terrorist attacks, we surveyed comparable groups of students (total, n = 1313) from these three institutions in the weeks following the first anniversary (2002) of the attacks. We found proximity effects (Albany higher than Augusta which was higher than Fargo) for PTSS and depressive symptoms but not for frequency of diagnoses of probable PTSD. Within the Albany site data, proximity of county of residence to New York City (NYC) also showed a proximity effect on PTSS. Although depressive symptoms were significantly different in 2002 versus 2001, the arithmetic differences in PTSS or in frequency of diagnoses of probable PTSD were not significant. The September 11 attacks continued to exert a psychic toll on college students even a year later.
Blanchard
Edward B
EB
Department of Psychology, Center for Stress and Anxiety Disorders, University of Albany--SUNY, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222 0001, USA. ssa@albany.edu
Rowell
Dianna
D
Kuhn
Eric
E
Rogers
Rebecca
R
Wittrock
David
D
D000328:Adult; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D009658:North Dakota / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D047851:September 11 Terrorist Attacks / Q000523:psychology*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D023481:Terrorism; D013997:Time Factors