title: Psychological effects of the marathon bombing on Boston-area veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.
abstract: This study examined the psychological impact of the Boston Marathon bombing using data from an ongoing longitudinal study of Boston-area veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; N = 71). Participants were assessed by telephone within 1 week of the end of the event; 42.3% of participants reported being personally affected by the bombings and/or the manhunt that followed. The majority of them reported that the bombing reminded them of their own traumas and/or caused other emotional distress. Examination of change in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms from a prebombing assessment an average of 2 months earlier to 1 week after the event revealed no significant change in symptoms across the sample as a whole. However, examination of patterns of change at the individual level revealed significant correlations (r = .33; p = .005) between distress at the time of the event and change in total PTSD symptom severity, with this effect accounted for primarily by increases in intrusion and avoidance symptoms (rs = .35 and .31, ps = .002 and .008, respectively). Findings of this study should raise awareness of the potential impact of terror attacks, mass shootings, and other events of this type on the well-being of individuals with histories of trauma and/or pre-existing PTSD.
authors.affiliation: National Center for PTSD at VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Mark W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Erika J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hein
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Prince
authors.forename: Annemarie F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Reardon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D054042:Bombs; D001900:Boston; D005107:Explosions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D057566:Self Report; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology*; D023481:Terrorism / Q000523:psychology*; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*