PTSD symptom dimensions and their relationship to functioning in World Trade Center responders

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bromet EJ ; Callahan JL ; Kilmer JN ; Kotov R ; Luft BJ ; Ruggero CJ
• Description:
  Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are common among responders to the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and can lead to impairment, yet it is unclear which symptom dimensions are responsible for poorer functioning. Moreover, how best to classify PTSD symptoms remains a topic of controversy. The present study tested competing models of PTSD dimensions and then assessed which were most strongly associated with social/occupational impairment, depression, and alcohol abuse. World Trade Center responders (n=954) enrolled in the Long Island site of the World Trade Center Health Program between 2005 and 2006 were administered standard self-report measures. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the superiority of four-factor models of PTSD over the DSM-IV three-factor model. In selecting between four-factor models, evidence was mixed, but some support emerged for a broad dysphoria dimension mapping closely onto depression and contributing strongly to functional impairment. This study confirmed in a new population the need to revise PTSD symptom classification to reflect four dimensions, but raises questions about how symptoms are categorized. Results suggest that targeted treatment of symptoms may provide the most benefit, and that treatment of dysphoria-related symptoms in disaster relief workers may have the most benefit for social and occupational functioning. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Alcoholic Beverages Emergency Responders Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Health Promotion Mental Health Occupational Health Pathology Safety Stress, Psychological Surveys And Questionnaires
• Keywords:
  Alcohol Alcoholism Analytical-models Analytical-processes Anxiety Disorders Author Keywords: Psychiatric Nosology Clinical-symptoms Depression Disaster Responders Emergency-responders Health-programs Health-surveys Medical-monitoring Medical-treatment Mental-health Mental-stress Psychological-adaptation Psychological-effects Psychological-reactions Psychological-responses Psychological-stress Psychosocial Sociological-factors Worker-health

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• ISSN:
  0165-1781
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Contract
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 6 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  WTCHP - World Trade Center Health Program
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  210
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20046166
• Citation:
  Psychiatry Res 2013 Dec; 210(3):1049-1055
• Contact Point Address:
  Camilo J.Ruggero, Department of Psychology, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle #311280, Denton, TX 76203, USA
• Email:
  Camilo.Ruggero@unt.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• Performing Organization:
  State University of New York at Stony Brook
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Psychiatry Research
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:59ee3eb5d28167e71b31295f086d3a780fec84201d984a9ffe55ee5dded29258a5f3ed1bbe7e4e59614fdde76109e22cd0e9581035494cc993e2f002c5bff9b3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/201297/cdc_201297_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 285.28 KB ]