The July 2005 London bombings highlight prevailing terrorist threats to the UK. The present study addressed the psychological response of a community indirectly exposed to the attacks. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), specific hypotheses examined associations between coping mechanisms (resilience, religious faith), emotions, and risk outcomes. Qualitative content analysis demonstrated the complexity of responses to terrorism. SEM analysis showed that resilience helped attenuate the effect of negative emotions; negative emotions heightened risk judgments; and respondents higher on religious faith displayed more positive emotions regarding the attacks. The content analysis supplemented quantitative results. Combined, these results highlight the importance of conveying accurate risk appraisals proportionate to the threat, as well as consideration of psychological operations, including resilience and religious faith. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Studies of the general population have shown that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 had a well-documented psychological effect, regardless of whether or not individuals were directly exposed to the events. In light of findings that pre-existing mental illness and prior exposure to trauma are associated with vulnerability to PTSD following a subsequent traumatic event, this article reviews research on the impact of the September 11th terrorist attacks on psychiatric patients. Findings suggest that, in general, psychiatric patients experienced immediate and long-term posttraumatic symptoms at levels greater than normal controls, although there were differential effects by diagnostic group and symptoms as observed did not always match complaints of subjective impairment. Studies sampling inpatients and outpatients, as well as research regarding service utilization, are evaluated. Assessment and treatment implications for clinicians responsible for the care of psychiatric patients following a national trauma are discussed, and recommendations for future research are presented. [Author Abstract] KEY WORDS: September 11; terrorist attacks; psychiatric patients

The authors investigated the relationship between the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and suicide risk in New York City from 1990 to 2006. The average monthly suicide rate over the study period was 0.56 per 100,000 people. The monthly rate after September 2001 was 0.11 per 100,000 people lower as compared to the rate in the period before. However, the rate of change in suicide was not significantly different before and after the disaster, and regression discontinuity analysis indicated no change at this date. There was no net change in the suicide rate in New York City attributable to this disaster, suggesting that factors other than exposure to traumatic events (e.g., cultural norms, availability of lethal methods) may be key drivers of suicide risk in this context. [Author Abstract]

This is the first longitudinal examination of trajectories of resilience and resistance (rather than ill-being) among a national sample under ongoing threat of mass casualty. The authors interviewed a nationally representative sample of Jews and Arabs in Israel (N = 709) at 2 times during a period of terrorist and rocket attacks (2004-2005). The resistance trajectory, exhibiting few or no symptoms of traumatic stress and depression at both time points, was substantially less common (22.1%) than has previously been documented in studies following single mass casualty events. The resilience trajectory, exhibiting initial symptoms and becoming relatively nonsymptomatic, was evidenced by 13.5% of interviewees. The chronic distress trajectory was documented among a majority of participants (54.0%), and a small proportion of persons were initially relatively symptom-free but became distressed (termed delayed distress trajectory; 10.3%). Less psychosocial resource loss and majority status (Jewish) were the most consistent predictors of resistance and resilience trajectories, followed by greater socioeconomic status, greater support from friends, and less report of posttraumatic growth. [Author Abstract] KEY WORDS: trauma; terrorism; resilience; PTSD; positive psychology

Youth who are exposed to devastating natural disasters or terrorist attacks report high levels of posttraumatic stress (PTS) and may develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This article summarizes evidence on the treatment of PTS reactions in these youth and describes interventions developed for the immediate aftermath of the event, the short-term recovery and rebuilding phase, or the long-term recovery phase. Psychological first aid and evidence-based psychoeducational materials show promise for the early phases of postdisaster recovery. For youth with persistent PTSD, cognitive-behavioral interventions appear promising but require further study. Children and adolescents exposed to disasters and acts of terrorism may need multicomponent interventions because their reactions are often multifaceted and often include other psychological problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Alcohol use increased in the New York City (NYC) metropolitan area in the first months after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks. AIMS: To investigate alcohol use trajectories in the NYC metropolitan area in the 3 years after 11 September and examine the relative contributions of acute exposure to the attacks and ongoing stressors to these trajectories. DESIGN: We used a population-based cohort of adults recruited through a random-digit-dial telephone survey in 2002; participants completed three follow-up interviews over 30 months. SETTING: The NYC metropolitan area. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 2752 non-institutionalized adult residents of NYC. MEASUREMENTS: We used growth mixture models to assess trajectories in levels of total alcohol consumption and bingeing in the past 30 days, and predictors of these trajectories. FINDINGS: We identified five trajectories of alcohol consumption levels and three bingeing trajectories. Predictors of higher levels of use over time included ongoing stressors, traumatic events and lower income. Ongoing exposure to stressors and low income also play a central role in bingeing trajectories. CONCLUSIONS: While point-in-time mass traumatic events may matter in the short term, their contribution subsides over time. Accumulated stressors and traumatic events, in contrast, lead to higher levels of consumption among respondents already vulnerable to high alcohol use. Interventions to mitigate post-disaster stressors may have substantial benefit in reducing alcohol abuse in the medium- to long term. [Author Abstract] KEY WORDS: alcohol use; bingeing; disasters; growth mixture; stressors; trajectories; trauma

Reviews the book, The faces of terrorism: Social and psychological dimensions by Neil J. Smelser (see record 2007-12179-000). The book offers an interesting, somewhat idiosyncratic, general survey of a sociological perspective regarding our nation's response to terrorist threats. Along with identifying some of the paradoxes in the problem of understanding and responding to terrorism, the author sets out to treat terrorism "not as a special thing or creature but as a kind of human behavior that has some distinctive characteristics but that also lends itself to explanation by mobilizing existing theoretical and empirical knowledge in the behavioral and social sciences." In addition to his analyses of the sociology of group movements and societal and political responses to cultural change, the author's portrayal of the role of the media is balanced and insightful. The book provides a balanced presentation of the multiple perspectives relevant to sociological and psychological dynamics. Frequently, after describing the impact of terrorism on some issue or specific segment of society, the author presents personal observations and evaluations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

In France, the real awakening to the importance of post-traumatic disorders of the direct victims of terrorism arose from a wave of terrorist attacks occurring in 1995-1996 in Paris (seven attacks in which 12 persons died and 544 were wounded). We first present the principal epidemiological studies conducted in France on the psychological impact of terrorist acts and, second, a prospective study whose main objective was to assess the degree of psychopathological repercussions in the long term by following longitudinally the direct victims of a gas canister explosion in the platform of a commuter train (Paris, December 3, 1996). According to the QSPT (adapted from the PTSD-Interview), the percentages of participants showing PTSD at six and 18 months were 41% and 34%, respectively. It dropped to 25% at 32 months; some responded at 32 months without having done so at 18 months. In addition, a French version of the Impact of Event Scale was used to derive a PTSD symptom score. Finally, in addition to PTSD symptomatology, at 18 months 32 participants (50%) had pathological scores of psychological distress (>3) as measured by the General health questionnaire (GHQ12). The need to add an emergency medico-psychological unit (CUMP) to the already existing emergency medical service became clear in 1995. These units--each team made up of a psychiatrist, a psychologist and nurses--are activated by the well-established emergency medical aid service intervening on the site of catastrophes. Once the victims are brought back to the hospital, emergency hospital psychiatric teams then take over from these teams. Specialized consultations in caring for psychological traumas have been developed and structured in several hospitals in France. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Telephone survey methodology was used to examine smoking and drinking after the September 11 terrorist attacks in a representative national sample. Most ever smokers and ever drinkers reported no change in substance use after the attacks. Smokers and drinkers who increased substance use were significantly more likely than those who did not to endorse a number of emotional reactions and functional difficulties. The pattern of associations of decreased use with emotional reactions and functional difficulties differed between smokers and drinkers. In general, decreased smoking was associated with denial of emotional reactions and functional difficulties whereas decreased drinking was associated with endorsement of these reactions and difficulties. The results have implications for research, clinical practice, and public health. [Author Abstract] KEY WORDS: disaster; September 11; terrorism; smoking; drinking

Although literature dealing with the psychological consequences of terrorist attacks and terrorism is abundant, very little information is available about the way children understand and perceive terrorists and terrorism. A series of photographs showing clay puppets of terrorists made by 11-year-old children inspired the two studies reported in this article. The studies had as their purpose to offer initial insights into the way children aged 7 through 11 understand and perceive terrorists. As a theoretical framework, research on the understanding of enemy and enemy images was adopted. The methods employed involved questionnaires and drawings, free associations, and word-recognition tasks. The findings suggest that children aged 7 have no clear understanding of a terrorist. By the age of 9, children's conceptions show that terrorists are a special instance of an enemy, characterized by concrete actions rather than the undefined presence of an enemy. Across age, terrorists become better defined, more negatively evaluated, and more frightening. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)