Anger and its association to distress and social/occupational functioning in symptomatic disaster relief workers responding to the September 11, 2001, World Trade Center disaster.
Empirical evidence suggests that anger plays a significant role in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and may impede recovery from traumatic events. The purpose of this study was to assess the role of anger and its relationship to distress and social/occupational functioning in disaster relief workers (DRWs) who had PTSD symptoms who were deployed to the World Trade Center after September 11, 2001. Six hundred twenty-six utility workers (96% male) completed measures of anger, distress, PTSD severity, and social/occupational functioning. Results indicated that anger was significantly higher in DRWs who had PTSD symptoms than in those who did not, and statistically significant associations were found among anger, distress, PTSD severity, and social/occupational functioning in workers who had PTSD symptoms. Careful assessment of anger in DRWs exposed to traumatic events is warranted as well as longitudinal studies to further understand the relationship between anger and PTSD.
Department of Psychiatry, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, 525 East 68th Street, Box 147, New York, NY 10021, USA. sue2002@med.cornell.edu
Susan
S
Evans
Cezar
C
Giosan
Ivy
I
Patt
Lisa
L
Spielman
JoAnn
J
Difede
D000328:Adult; D000786:Anger; D003710:Demography; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012066:Relief Work / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D047851:September 11 Terrorist Attacks / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012919:Social Behavior; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires