Prevalence and psychological correlates of complicated grief among bereaved adults 2.5-3.5 years after September 11th attacks.
A Web-based survey of adults who experienced loss during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks was conducted to examine the prevalence and correlates of complicated grief (CG) 2.5-3.5 years after the attacks. Forty-three percent of a study group of 704 bereaved adults across the United States screened positive for CG. In multivariate analyses, CG was associated with female gender, loss of a child, death of deceased at the World Trade Center, and live exposure to coverage of the attacks on television. Posttraumatic stress disorder, major depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and increase in post-9/11 smoking were common among participants with CG. A majority of the participants with CG reported receiving grief counseling and psychiatric medication after 9/11. Clinical and policy implications are discussed.
Neria
Yuval
Y
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA. ny126@columbia.edu
Gross
Raz
R
Litz
Brett
B
Maguen
Shira
S
Insel
Beverly
B
Seirmarco
Gretchen
G
Rosenfeld
Helena
H
Suh
Eun Jung
EJ
Kishon
Ronit
R
Cook
Joan
J
Marshall
Randall D
RD
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D001601:Bereavement; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010555:Personality Inventory; D047851:September 11 Terrorist Attacks; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States