Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Handgrip Strength Among World Trade Center Firefighters and Emergency Medical Responders

Details

• Journal Article:
  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Personal Author:
  Sampson, Laura ; Song, Yuxiao ; Mann, Frank D. ; Zeig-Owens, Rachel ; Hall, Charles B. ; Mueller, Alexandra K. ; Choi, Jaeun ; Fels, Alicia M. ; Fajfer, Matthew D. ; Melendez, Onix A. ; Hennington, Christina M. ; Arneaud, Candace W. ; Prezant, David J. ; Luft, Benjamin J. ; Clouston, Sean A. P.
  More +
• Description:
  Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been linked to impaired physical function, which in turn predicts falls, morbidity, and mortality. However, few studies have used objective measures such as handgrip strength to assess physical function. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated associations of average PTSD symptom severity and symptom domain severity with measures of maximum handgrip strength and handgrip asymmetry from 11/2021-12/2023, among 381 male firefighters and emergency medical responders who responded to the World Trade Center disaster, using covariate-adjusted linear regression models. PTSD was diagnosed using the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-5 in 17% of responders. Greater overall PTSD average symptom severity was associated with weaker maximum handgrip strength (β = -4.43 lbs; 95%; CI: -8.77, -0.09; p = 0.045). Higher re-experiencing symptom severity was associated with weaker maximum handgrip strength (β = -4.17 lbs; 95% CI: -8.13, -0.22; p = 0.039). Avoidance symptoms were associated with weaker handgrip strength in adjusted models (β = -4.14 lbs; 95% CI: -7.56, -0.73; p = 0.018), and associated with a larger negative difference assessing for hand asymmetry (β = -2.20 lbs; 95% CI: -4.18, -0.22; p = 0.029). Findings suggest that PTSD may contribute to long-term physical decline, even in populations with high baseline fitness. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Emergency Responders
  • Mental Health
  • Occupational Health
  • Safety
  • September 11 Terrorist Attacks
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
• Keywords:
  • World Trade Center; WTC; Mental health; Post-traumatic stress disorder; PTSD; First responders; Physical fitness; Cross sectional studies; Fire fighters; Emergency responders; Health programs;
  • Author Keywords: posttraumatic stress disorder; handgrip strength; handgrip asymmetry; firefighters and emergency medical responders; PTSD symptom severity
• Source:
  Int J Environ Res Public Health 2026 Apr; 23(4):413
• ISSN:
  1660-4601
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement ; Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; New York City Region OSHA ; New York City, NY
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  WTCHP - World Trade Center Health Program
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  16 pdf pages
• Volume:
  23
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071548
• Contact Point Address:
  Laura Sampson, Program in Public Health Program, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
• Email:
  laura.sampson@stonybrookmedicine.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2026
• Performing Organization:
  State University of New York at Stony Brook
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20210701
• End Date:
  20260630
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/259323/cdc_259323_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.08 MB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:871bc7e9b87c59764b51342f6f4ba7e53df58b8dcdc453dc811b3df0801bc25b4f6129dfa0e32c0a9d6aa99f3b6e083276e5c318c2660e5e8ff12108e6e82acc