Chronic PTSD patients' functioning before and after the September 11 attacks.
This study examined how treatment-seeking veterans with preexisting posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (n = 178) were affected by vicarious exposure to the September 11 terrorist attacks. Participants were surveyed 0 to 5 months prior to 9/11 and resurveyed 6 months after the attacks. Half the patients reported that thoughts and feelings about 9/11 impaired their functioning some (37%) or most or all of the time (13%). However, there was little evidence that vicarious exposure to 9/11 altered the course of these patients' functioning. Mean symptom, substance use, and role functioning outcomes were unchanged from pre-9/11 levels. Time spent following media coverage of 9/11 events was weakly associated (r = .17 to .18, p < .05) with only two of eight functioning outcomes.
Rosen
Craig
C
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Sierra-Pacific Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center, VA National Center for PTSD, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA. crosen@stanford.edu
Tiet
Quyen
Q
Cavella
Steven
S
Finney
John
J
Lee
Tina
T
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology*; D023481:Terrorism / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*