Past Experiences of Getting Bullied and Assaulted and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) After a Severe Traumatic Event in Adulthood: A Study of World Trade Center (WTC) Responders

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bernard K ; Bromet E ; Clouston S ; Kotov R ; Leibowitz GS ; Luft B ; Mukherjee S ; Scott SB
• Description:
  Although experiencing bullying and other forms of assault is associated with adverse physical, emotional, and psychological consequences, the long-term consequences, especially in the aftermath of a severe trauma in adulthood, is not known. This study examined the relationship between history of being bullied and/or assaulted and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among responders to the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster. During 2015-2016, a modified life events checklist was administered to responders at Stony Brook WTC Health Program. WTC-related PTSD symptoms were assessed by PTSD checklist (PCL). Longitudinal mixed models examined associations between bullying, other forms of assault, and severity and chronicity of PTSD symptoms. Approximately, 13% of 920 responders had probable WTC-PTSD (PCL=44). Being bullied in childhood was associated with increased odds of WTC-PTSD (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 7.34; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.12-25.34), adjusted for demographics, other stressors, and WTC exposures. PTSD odds decreased over time among those not bullied (aOR 0.82; 95% CI: 0.73-0.92), but not among victims. Experiencing physical, sexual, or verbal assaults during adulthood also had a significant association with WTC-PTSD (aOR 4.64; 95% CI: 1.98-10.92). Findings suggest being bullied in childhood and/or assaulted in adulthood can increase PTSD risk and progression after mass trauma. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Bullying Mental Health Occupational Health Safety September 11 Terrorist Attacks Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic Violence
• Keywords:
  Adulthood Assault Assaults Author Keywords: Bullying Childhood Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Progression Psychological Effects Psychological Stress PTSD Traumatic Incident Stress World Trade Center WTC WTC Responders

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• ISSN:
  1092-6771
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Contract
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  167-185
• Volume:
  29
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054739
• Citation:
  J Aggress Maltreat Trauma 2020 Feb; 29(2):167-185
• Contact Point Address:
  Soumyadeep Mukherjee, Health and Physical Education Department, Rhode Island College, 141 The Murray Center, 600 Mount Pleasant Ave., Providence, RI 02908
• Email:
  smukherjee@ric.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:86e66ac6f1b06ba349833a060bb735016245073f9d7e6ea39794054545e88ca4e98ffd7ea1adaeeebce1854162524fe95d8359fbe84796eaec0df0bed112cfa6
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/217175/cdc_217175_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.53 MB ]