Michael J Zvolensky1, Samantha G Farris2, Roman Kotov3, Clyde B Schechter4, Evelyn Bromet3, Adam Gonzalez3, Anka Vujanovic5, Robert H Pietrzak6, Michael Crane7, Julia Kaplan7, Jacqueline Moline8, Steven M Southwick6, Adriana Feder9, Iris Udasin10, Dori B Reissman11, Benjamin J Luft12. 1. University of Houston, Department of Psychology, Houston, TX, USA; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Behavioral Science, Houston, TX, USA. Electronic address: mjzvolen@central.uh.edu. 2. University of Houston, Department of Psychology, Houston, TX, USA. 3. Stony Brook University, Department of Psychiatry, Stony Brook, NY, USA. 4. Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Department of Family & Social Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA. 5. University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Houston, TX, USA. 6. United States Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA. 7. Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, Department of Preventive Medicine, New York, NY, USA. 8. North Shore-LIJ Health System, Department of Population Health, Great Neck, NY, USA. 9. Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA. 10. Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Piscataway, NJ, USA. 11. World Trade Center Health Program, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health & U.S. Public Health Service, Washington, D.C., USA. 12. Stony Brook University, Department of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
Abstract
PURPOSE: The current study examined the role of World Trade Center (WTC) disaster exposure (hours spent working on the site, dust cloud exposure, and losing friend/loved one) in exacerbating the effects of post-disaster life stress on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and overall functioning among WTC responders. METHOD: Participants were 18,896 responders (8466 police officers and 10,430 non-traditional responders) participating in the WTC Health Program who completed an initial examination between July, 2002 and April, 2010 and were reassessed an average of two years later. RESULTS: Among police responders, there was a significant interaction, such that the effect of post-disaster life stress on later PTSD symptoms and overall functioning was stronger among police responders who had greater WTC disaster exposure (β's=.029 and .054, respectively, for PTSD symptoms and overall functioning). This moderating effect was absent in non-traditional responders. Across both groups, post-disaster life stress also consistently was related to the dependent variables in a more robust manner than WTC exposure. DISCUSSION: The present findings suggest that WTC exposure may compound post-disaster life stress, thereby resulting in a more chronic course of PTSD symptoms and reduced functioning among police responders.
PURPOSE: The current study examined the role of World Trade Center (WTC) disaster exposure (hours spent working on the site, dust cloud exposure, and losing friend/loved one) in exacerbating the effects of post-disaster life stress on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and overall functioning among WTC responders. METHOD:Participants were 18,896 responders (8466 police officers and 10,430 non-traditional responders) participating in the WTC Health Program who completed an initial examination between July, 2002 and April, 2010 and were reassessed an average of two years later. RESULTS: Among police responders, there was a significant interaction, such that the effect of post-disaster life stress on later PTSD symptoms and overall functioning was stronger among police responders who had greater WTC disaster exposure (β's=.029 and .054, respectively, for PTSD symptoms and overall functioning). This moderating effect was absent in non-traditional responders. Across both groups, post-disaster life stress also consistently was related to the dependent variables in a more robust manner than WTC exposure. DISCUSSION: The present findings suggest that WTC exposure may compound post-disaster life stress, thereby resulting in a more chronic course of PTSD symptoms and reduced functioning among police responders.
Authors: Soumyadeep Mukherjee; Sean Clouston; Evelyn Bromet; George S Leibowitz; Stacey B Scott; Kristin Bernard; Roman Kotov; Benjamin Luft Journal: J Aggress Maltreat Trauma Date: 2019-02-04
Authors: Joshua R Oltmanns; H Andrew Schwartz; Camilo Ruggero; Youngseo Son; Jiaju Miao; Monika Waszczuk; Sean A P Clouston; Evelyn J Bromet; Benjamin J Luft; Roman Kotov Journal: J Psychiatr Res Date: 2021-09-06 Impact factor: 4.791
Authors: Minos Kritikos; Sean A P Clouston; Chuan Huang; Alison C Pellecchia; Stephanie Mejia-Santiago; Melissa A Carr; Roman Kotov; Roberto G Lucchini; Samuel E Gandy; Evelyn J Bromet; Benjamin J Luft Journal: Transl Psychiatry Date: 2021-11-23 Impact factor: 6.222