World Trade Center Exposure and Posttraumatic Growth: Assessing Positive Psychological Change 15 Years After 9/11

Details

• Personal Author:
  Adams SW ; Banyard V ; Brackbill RM ; Brite J ; Cone, James E. ; Davidov J ; Gargano LM ; Pollari CD ; Russo-Netzer P
• Description:
  We evaluated the presence of posttraumatic growth (PTG) among survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attack and how indicators of psychosocial well-being, direct 9/11-related exposure, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) relate to PTG. PTG was examined among 4934 participants using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to determine if the original factor structure of the PTGI fits our data and principal component analysis (PCA) to identify the appropriate factor structure. Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine the association between PTG and indicators of psychosocial well-being, 9/11-related exposure, and PTSS, controlling for covariates. CFA identified a two-factor structure of the PTGI as a better fit than the original five-factor model. Participants who experienced very high 9/11-related exposure level (beta = 7.72; 95% CI: 5.75-9.70), higher PTSS at waves 1 (beta = 0.13; 95% CI: 0.08-0.18) and 2 (beta = 0.09; 95% CI: 0.05-0.14), high social integration (beta = 5.71; 95% CI: 4.47, 6.96), greater social support (beta = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.37, 0.61), and higher self-efficacy (beta = 1.26; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.48) had higher PTGI scores. Our findings suggest PTG is present, 15 years following the 9/11 terrorist attack. Very high-level 9/11 exposure, PTSS, and indicators of psychosocial well-being were associated with PTG. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Mental Health Nervous System Occupational Health Safety September 11 Terrorist Attacks
• Keywords:
  9/11 Author Keywords: Disaster Cognitive Function Mental Health Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Posttraumatic Growth Psychological Responses Psychosocial Factors PTSD Well-being World Trade Center WTC

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• ISSN:
  1660-4601
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New Jersey ; New York ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  18
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20061756
• Citation:
  Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021 Jan; 18(1):104
• Contact Point Address:
  Cristina D. Pollari, Division of Epidemiology, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, World Trade Center Health Registry, Long Island City, NY 11101, USA
• Email:
  cpollari@health.nyc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• Performing Organization:
  New York City Health/Mental Hygiene
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20090430
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:57c7e5ba7856b2d626000247ee7a9d15655a0593b94d95a360a68f1e779331d9a6c4edd9342f2c6b2a2449b248cfb2ef83285ca3372c9a8ebceb94c1bfd26448
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/225159/cdc_225159_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 347.26 KB ]