Reports an error in "The psychosocial consequences for children and young people who are exposed to terrorism, war, conflict and natural disasters" by Richard Williams (Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 2006[Jul], Vol 19[4], 337-349). In this article a citation to an article by Pine et al. was accidentally omitted from table 2; the citation did appear in the text. The corrected table with citation appears in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2006-07287-001.) With a perspective focused on the psychosocial care of children and adolescents, the author identifies some of the topics that have been addressed in print, and the lessons learned from past experience and research on policy, practice, and corporate and clinical governance of health service delivery in the aftermath of disasters. The author summarizes findings from recent publications beginning with papers published in this Journal. Topics examined include: events that traumatize children and adolescents; research into mechanisms and effectiveness of interventions; the impact of terrorism, war and disaster on non-adults; the role of culture in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of such trauma; the nature of psychosocial problems affecting child and adolescent victims of trauma; and advice on policy, strategy, healthcare service design, practice and corporate and clinical governance in this regard. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

This article deals with the victims of and victimization by terrorism. Using criminological and victimological analysis it reviews the numerous definitions of terrorism that are relevant for studying the victims of terrorist attacks. It also explores the similarities and differences between the personal and institutional experiences of victims of mass terrorist acts and those of the victims of other crimes, especially hate crimes. The analysis indicates that while victims of mass terrorism experience many of the same physical and psychological effects as other crime victims do, they are viewed and treated differently by government agencies and the public. The article also explores the use of victimization claims as an explanatory concept for understanding perpetrators of mass terrorist acts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Comer and Kendall's (2007) (see record 2007-11616-001) comprehensive review of the impact of terrorism on youth organizes this important and burgeoning area of research. The present commentary focuses on youth outcomes associated with proximal contact with terrorist attacks, and highlights several important issues that merit attention. Specifically, the commentary emphasizes the importance of examining youths' postattack outcomes broadly (in addition to posttraumatic stress disorder and its symptoms), assessing traumatic grief and bereavement when mass casualties occur, and evaluating issues of comorbidity and functional impairment. Future research on the impact of terrorism on youth would benefit from adopting a developmental psychopathology perspective in understanding variables that may influence and be influenced by youths' reactions to terrorist events. Implications for research and clinical practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Objective: This preliminary study endeavored to evaluate the use of virtual reality (VR) enhanced exposure therapy for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) consequent to the World Trade Center attacks of September 11,2001. Method: Participants were assigned to a VR treatment (N = 13) or a waitlist control (N = 8) group and were mostly middle-aged, male disaster workers. All participants were diagnosed with PTSD according to DSM-IV-TR criteria using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). The study was conducted between February 2002 and August 2005 in offices located in outpatient buildings of a hospital campus. Results: Analysis of variance showed a significant interaction of time by group (p < .01) on CAPS scores, with a between-groups posttreatment effect size of 1.54. The VR group showed a significant decline in CAPS scores compared with the waitlist group (p < .01). Conclusions: Our preliminary data suggest that VR is an effective treatment tool for enhancing exposure therapy for both civilians and disaster workers with PTSD and may be especially useful for those patients who cannot engage in imaginal exposure therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)(journal abstract)

A growing body of evidence suggests that most adults exposed to potentially traumatic events are resilient. However, research on the factors that may promote or deter adult resilience has been limited. This study examined patterns of association between resilience and various sociocontextual factors. The authors used data from a random-digit-dial phone survey (N = 2,752) conducted in the New York City area after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack. Resilience was defined as having 1 or 0 PTSD symptoms and as being associated with low levels of depression and substance use. Multivariate analyses indicated that the prevalence of resilience was uniquely predicted by participant gender, age, race/ethnicity, education, level of trauma exposure, income change, social support, frequency of chronic disease, and recent and past life stressors. Implications for future research and intervention are discussed. [Author Abstract] KEY WORDS: resilience; trauma; resources; social support; ethnicity

A focus group of New York City adolescents was conducted 21 months after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to examine their emotional responses to the incidents. The adolescents had vivid memories of the attacks and articulated their reactions, their perspectives on the potential motives for the attacks, and their concerns about ongoing danger. Impressive was the maturity and thoughtfulness of their discourse, which revealed their efforts to process and integrate the events and a realization that their world had changed. [Author Abstract]

Recent studies have shown an increase in alcohol use in New York City in the months after the September 11 terrorist attacks; thus far there have been no studies documenting changes in drinking problems. In 2002, a random digit dial phone survey was conducted of residents of New York City. This study provided us with estimates of the prevalence of alcohol drinking problems among residents of New York City 6 months after September 11 compared with the 6 months before September 11. Among 1,570 adults, the prevalence of drinking problems was 3.7% in the 6 months before September 11 and 4.2% in the 6 months after September 11. The incidence of drinking problems among those without drinking problems before September 11 was 2.2%. Persons with incident drinking problems were more likely than those without to report symptoms consistent with PTSD (17.4% vs. 0.4% in those without drinking problems and 1.4% in nondrinkers), and depression (23.5% vs. 5.6% vs. 4.9%, respectively) after September 11. After a disaster, a link between drinking problems and PTSD or depression should be assessed. [Author Abstract] KEY WORDS: alcohol; disaster; epidemiology; PTSD; PTSD, substance use; substance use

Over the past 30 years, studies have shown that survivors of community-wide disasters suffer from a variety of physical and mental health problems. Researchers also have documented increased substance use in the aftermath of these disasters. In the present study, we examined the relationship between alcohol use and mental health status within the context of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City (NYC). The data for the present report come from a 2-wave panel study of adults living in NYC on the day of the attacks. Wave 1 (W1) and Wave 2 (W2) interviews occurred one year and two years after the attacks, respectively. Overall, 2,368 individuals completed the W1 survey (cooperation rate, 63%) and 1,681 completed the W2 survey (re-interview rate, 71%). The alcohol use variables examined were binge drinking, alcohol dependence, increased days drinking, and increased drinks per day. The outcomes examined included measures of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depression, BSI-18-Global Severity and measures of SF12-mental and physical health status. After controlling for demographic, stress, and resource factors, multivariate logistic regressions indicated that all alcohol measures were related to one or more of these outcomes. In particular, binge drinking was related to partial PTSD, while alcohol dependence was associated subsyndromal PTSD, severity of PTSD, depression, BSI-18 global severity, and SF-12 poor mental health status. Increased post-disaster drinking was positively associated with subsyndromal PTSD and negatively associated with SF-12 physical health. We discuss reasons for these results and the negative consequences that heavy alcohol use may have on the postdisaster recovery process.

The present study examined whether women are at higher risk of developing stress reactions in situations of war and terror. The study looked at gender differences within two samples-teenagers (n = 353) and adults (n = 890)-regarding the impact of stress that developed in response to a situation of threat of war and terror as a result of Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon. The study tested: (1) gender differences regarding cognitive appraisal of the stressor, coping styles, psychological symptoms, and life satisfaction; (2) whether cognitive appraisal and coping styles mediated gender differences in psychological symptoms and life satisfaction; and (3) whether the two age groups differed regarding the contribution of gender to the studied variables. The results revealed that among the teenagers, gender differences were found only in cognitive appraisal and psychological symptoms, while among adults, gender differences were found in all the studied variables. The results support the mediating hypothesis with regard to psychological symptoms, but not with regard to life satisfaction. The results also show a different contribution of gender in each of the age groups regarding psychological symptoms, but not regarding life satisfaction, which leaves some doubt regarding the assumptions that women tend to be more affected by stress than men.

Children remain potential victims of chemical or biological terrorism. In recent years, children have even been specific targets of terrorist acts. Consequently, it is necessary to address the needs that children would face after a terrorist incident. A broad range of public health initiatives have occurred since September 11, 2001. Although the needs of children have been addressed in many of them, in many cases, these initiatives have been inadequate in ensuring the protection of children. In addition, public health and health care system preparedness for terrorism has been broadened to the so-called all-hazards approach, in which response plans for terrorism are blended with plans for a public health or health care system response to unintentional disasters (eg, natural events such as earthquakes or pandemic flu or manmade catastrophes such as a hazardous-materials spill). In response to new principles and programs that have appeared over the last 5 years, this policy statement provides an update of the 2000 policy statement. The roles of both the pediatrician and public health agencies continue to be emphasized; only a coordinated effort by pediatricians and public health can ensure that the needs of children, including emergency protocols in schools or child care centers, decontamination protocols, and mental health interventions, will be successful.