Job loss, unemployment, work stress, job satisfaction, and the persistence of posttraumatic stress disorder one year after the September 11 attacks.
The influence of unemployment and adverse work conditions on the course of psychopathology after a mass disaster is unclear. We recruited a representative sample of adults living in the New York City metropolitan area six months after the September 11 attacks and completed follow-up interviews on 71% of the baseline sample six months later (N = 1939). At follow-up, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) persisted in 42.7% of the 149 cases with PTSD at baseline. In multivariable models, unemployment at any time since baseline predicted PTSD persistence in the entire cohort (P = 0.02) and among persons employed at follow-up (P = 0.02). High levels of perceived work stress predicted PTSD persistence among persons employed at follow-up (P = 0.02). Persons unemployed in the aftermath of a disaster may be at risk for poor mental health in the long-term.
Nandi
Arijit
A
Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies, New York Academy of Medicine, New York, NY 10029-5283, USA.
Galea
Sandro
S
Tracy
Melissa
M
Ahern
Jennifer
J
Resnick
Heidi
H
Gershon
Robyn
R
Vlahov
David
D
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011336:Probability; D017678:Sex Distribution; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D023481:Terrorism / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013997:Time Factors; D014478:Unemployment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014504:Urban Health