The Effects of Terrorist Attacks on Symptom Clusters of PTSD: a Comparison with Victims of Other Traumatic Events

Pozza, Andrea; Bossini, Letizia; Ferretti, Fabio; Olivola, Miriam; Matto, Laura Del; Desantis, Serena; Fagiolini, Andrea; Coluccia, Anna

doi:10.1007/s11126-019-09650-3

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…This is the first study assessing ICD physical comorbidities and the related gender differences in a group of Italian PTSD patients. This work extends the results of studies previously published by the authors [12, 13].…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Post-traumatic stress disorder in Italy: a comprehensive evaluation of all the ICD comorbidities and gender-related differences

et al. 2019

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ObjectivesThe association between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and medical comorbidities is controversial since most studies focused on specific comorbidity and victim types. In Italy, data on this issue are scarce. A comprehensive evaluation of all the ICD medical categories co-occurring in PTSD may orient assessment and treatment during clinical and forensic practice. This is the first study evaluating all the ICD physical comorbidities and gender-related differences in Italian PTSD patients. Eighty-four PTSD patients (36 females, 48 males) were included. The Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale, Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview and Davidson Trauma Scale were administered.ResultsMost patients had a PTSD consequent to an accident and half of them presented extreme symptom severity. No gender differences emerged on symptom severity/duration and age at the event. Metabolic (39.29%), circulatory (20.24%) and musculoskeletal systems/connective tissue diseases (17.86%) were the most frequent comorbidities. Metabolic/circulatory diseases were more frequent among males (p = 0.019 and p = 0.027, respectively) while females more frequently showed neoplasms (p = 0.039). Physical comorbidities represent a serious complication in PTSD patients and are more prevalent than in the Italian population. While gender is not associated with symptom presentation, it seems to play a key role in specific comorbidities including metabolic, circulatory and neoplastic diseases.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Post-traumatic stress disorder in Italy: a comprehensive evaluation of all the ICD comorbidities and gender-related differences

et al. 2019

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“…In one study, there was no statistically significant difference in the severity of symptoms between PTSD related to terrorism versus other forms of PTSD; however, higher avoidance symptoms were found, which is generally a severity marker [67]. However, one study out of Italy showed higher severity scores on the CAPS scale in terrorism than other forms of trauma [75]. When examining symptoms related to reliving the trauma, auditory reminders were the most frequently encountered and the most distressing [68,69].…”

Section: Symptom Clusters and Course Of Illnessesmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…With regard to PTSD related to terrorism, even 6-7 years after the attack, 15-26% of direct victims continue to report PTSD symptoms [74]. Compared to other sources of PTSD, terrorism leads to a longer duration of illness (202 versus 92 months), with non-traditional workers showing the highest rates of chronic symptoms [67,75]. In one study, there was no statistically significant difference in the severity of symptoms between PTSD related to terrorism versus other forms of PTSD; however, higher avoidance symptoms were found, which is generally a severity marker [67].…”

Section: Symptom Clusters and Course Of Illnessesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anxiety, Depression and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder after Terrorist Attacks: A General Review of the Literature

Rigutto

Sapara

Agyapong

2021

Behavioral Sciences

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Terrorism, though not well-defined, is a violent act that has been shown to have longstanding effects on the mental health of those who witness it. The aim of this general literature review is to explore the effect that terrorism has on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorders, as well as the bio-psycho-social determinants that mediate its impact. This paper describes the prevalence, risk factors, protective factors, common presentations and interventions identified for PTSD, depression and anxiety disorders occurring following terrorist attacks. We conducted a literature search in MEDLINE using a number of keywords detailed below. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, we kept 80 articles, which we summarized in tabular form. A majority of articles found detailed the impact of terrorism on PTSD, and took place in a Western, mainly American setting. The main factors that impacted the presentation of mental illness include gender, ethnicity, social supports, socioeconomic status, level of preparedness, level of exposure, pre-existing trauma and mental illness, and subsequent life stressors. The main intervention detailed in this article as showing evidence post-terrorism is trauma-focused cognitive-behavioural therapy. This study highlights the importance of this topic, and in particular, its implications for public health policy and practice.

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“…Amir et al 53 examined the association between severity of trauma exposure (battlefield experience, civilian terrorism, and work or traffic accidents) and PTSD symptoms and found that the more severe the trauma exposure, the more severe the PTSD symptoms. A 2019 study by Pozza et al 54 found that victims of terrorist attacks had significantly greater general PTSD severity compared with those who had experienced other PTEs. In prior screening studies, we and others have found that greater WTC exposure is associated with an increased risk of PTSD and depression 12,15,24,25,27 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

PTSD symptoms, depressive symptoms, and subjective cognitive concerns in WTC‐exposed and non‐WTC‐exposed firefighters

Mueller

Singh

Webber

et al. 2021

American J Industrial Med

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Background: Firefighting has been associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health conditions. We previously found that among Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) responders to the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster, higher-intensity WTC-exposure predicted PTSD symptoms, depressive symptoms, and subjective cognitive concerns. The present study aims to compare these symptoms in the FDNY WTC-exposed cohort versus a comparison cohort of non-FDNY, non-WTC-exposed firefighters. Methods:The study population included WTC-exposed male firefighters from FDNY (N = 8466) and non-WTC-exposed male firefighters from Chicago (N = 1195), Philadelphia (N = 770), and San Francisco (N = 650) fire departments who were employed on 9/11/2001 and completed a health questionnaire between 3/1/2018 and 12/31/2020. Current PTSD symptoms, depressive symptoms, and subjective cognitive concerns were assessed via validated screening instruments. Multivariable linear regression analyses stratified by fire department estimated the impact of covariates on each outcome.Results: Adjusted mean PTSD symptom scores ranged from 23.5 ± 0.6 in Chicago firefighters to 25.8 ± 0.2 in FDNY, and adjusted mean depressive symptom scores ranged from 7.3 ± 0.5 in Chicago to 9.4 ± 0.6 in Philadelphia. WTC-exposure was associated with fewer subjective cognitive concerns (β = −0.69 ± 0.05, p < .001) after controlling for covariates. Across cohorts, older age was associated with more cognitive concerns, but fewer PTSD and depressive symptoms.Conclusions: WTC-exposed firefighters had fewer cognitive concerns compared with non-WTC-exposed firefighters. We were unable to estimate associations between WTC exposure and PTSD symptoms or depressive symptoms due to variability between non-WTC-exposed cohorts. Longitudinal follow-up is needed to

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The Effects of Terrorist Attacks on Symptom Clusters of PTSD: a Comparison with Victims of Other Traumatic Events

Cited by 12 publications

References 47 publications

Post-traumatic stress disorder in Italy: a comprehensive evaluation of all the ICD comorbidities and gender-related differences

Post-traumatic stress disorder in Italy: a comprehensive evaluation of all the ICD comorbidities and gender-related differences

Anxiety, Depression and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder after Terrorist Attacks: A General Review of the Literature

PTSD symptoms, depressive symptoms, and subjective cognitive concerns in WTC‐exposed and non‐WTC‐exposed firefighters

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