title: Adolescent exposure to recurrent terrorism in Israel: posttraumatic distress and functional impairment.
abstract: This study examines the impact of exposure to ongoing terrorism on 695 Israeli high school students. Exposure was measured using a questionnaire developed for the security situation in Israel. Posttraumatic symptoms were measured using the UCLA PTSD Index for DSM-IV--Adolescent Version (N. Rodriguez, A. Steinberg, & R. S. Pynoos, 1999), functional impairment and somatic complaints were assessed using items derived from the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (C. P. Lucas et al., 2001), and depression was measured with the Brief Beck Depression Inventory (A. T. Beck & R. W. Beck, 1972). According to the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994), the prevalence of probable posttraumatic stress disorder was 7.6%. Girls reported greater severity of posttraumatic symptoms, whereas boys exhibited greater functional impairment in social and family domains. School-based screening appears to be an effective means of identifying adolescents who have been exposed to terror and are experiencing posttraumatic stress symptomatology and psychosocial impairment.
authors.affiliation: The Israel Center for the Treatment of Psychotrauma, Herzog Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel. rpat@herzoghospital.org
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pat-Horenczyk
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Abramovitz
authors.forename: Osnat
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Peled
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brom
authors.forename: Ayala
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Daie
authors.forename: Claude M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Chemtob
mesh_terms: D000275:Adjustment Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D010507:Periodicity; D011584:Psychology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012917:Social Adjustment; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D023481:Terrorism / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*