title: Adjustment among area youth after the Boston Marathon bombing and subsequent manhunt.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The majority of research on terrorism-exposed youth has examined large-scale terrorism with mass casualties. Limited research has examined children's reactions to terrorism of the scope of the Boston Marathon bombing. Furthermore, the extraordinary postattack interagency manhunt and shelter-in-place warning made for a truly unprecedented experience in its own right for families. Understanding the psychological adjustment of Boston-area youth in the aftermath of these events is critical for informing clinical efforts.
  
  
  METHODS
  Survey of Boston-area parents/caretakers (N = 460) reporting on their child's experiences during the attack week, as well as psychosocial functioning in the first 6 attack months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was heterogeneity across youth in attack- and manhunt-related experiences and clinical outcomes. The proportion of youth with likely attack/manhunt-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was roughly 6 times higher among Boston Marathon-attending youth than nonattending youth. Attack and manhunt experiences each uniquely predicted 9% of PTSD symptom variance, with manhunt exposures more robustly associated than attack-related exposures with a range of psychosocial outcomes, including emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, and peer problems. One-fifth of youth watched >3 hours of televised coverage on the attack day, which was linked to PTSD symptoms, conduct problems, and total difficulties. Prosocial behavior and positive peer functioning buffered the impact of exposure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinical efforts must maintain a broadened focus beyond simply youth present at the blasts and must also include youth highly exposed to the intense interagency pursuit and manhunt. Continued research is needed to understand the adjustment of youth after mass traumas and large-scale manhunts in residential communities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, Florida; and jocomer@fiu.edu.
authors.forename: Jonathan S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Comer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Annie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dantowitz
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, Florida; and.
authors.forename: Tommy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Aubrey L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Edson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: R Meredith
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Elkins
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kerns
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Bonnie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Jennifer Greif
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Green
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D054042:Bombs; D001900:Boston; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D023481:Terrorism
keywords: PTSD; disaster; mental health; terrorism; trauma