Exposure to terrorism poses a challenge for children and adolescents as well as parents. For many years, Israeli citizens have been exposed to ongoing terrorist attacks. The present article is aimed at revealing the reactions of Israeli parents when facing terrorist attacks and their perceptions regarding the help-seeking behaviours of their adolescent children when confronted with terrorist attacks. The article is based on a survey of 684 parents (342 mothers, 342 fathers) of adolescents (11 to 19 years old). We compared the responses of mothers with those provided by fathers, and analysed the possible effect of the sex of the child on the responses of the parents. The study contributes to the understanding of the coping strategies utilised by parents and adolescents when confronting extremely stressful situations. It also offers a deeper scrutiny of the relationships between parents and their children at times of crisis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

The origins of West German terrorism are closely linked to post-war Germany's problems of dealing with the National Socialist past. The terrorist groups defined themselves as "antifascist" and accused the Federal Republic of Germany, the USA, and Israel of continuing "imperialist" Nazi policy, which was supposed to justify their "armed struggle." On the other hand, the terrorists themselves have been described as "Hitler's children" in the sense that they had adopted key aspects of National Socialist ideology, including anti-Semitism. The article reviews the evidence for such an assessment in the context of Germany's debates about the legacy of National Socialism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Although the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were the largest human-made disaster in US history, there is little extant research documenting the attacks' consequences among those most directly affected, that is, persons who were in the World Trade Center towers. Data from a cross-sectional survey conducted 2-3 years after the attacks ascertained the prevalence of long-term, disaster-related posttraumatic stress symptoms and probable PTSD in 3,271 civilians who evacuated World Trade Center towers 1 and 2. Overall, 95.6% of survivors reported at least 1 current posttraumatic stress symptom. The authors estimated the probable rate of PTSD at 15.0% by using the PTSD Checklist. Women and minorities were at an increased risk of PTSD. A strong inverse relation with annual income was observed. 5 characteristics of direct exposure to the terrorist attacks independently predicted PTSD: being on a high floor in the towers, initiating evacuation late, being caught in the dust cloud that resulted from the tower collapses, personally witnessing horror, and sustaining an injury. Working for an employer that sustained fatalities also increased risk. Each addition of an experience of direct exposure resulted in a 2-fold increase in the risk of PTSD (odds ratio = 2.09, 95% confidence interval: 1.84, 2.36). Identification of these risk factors may be useful when screening survivors of large-scale terrorist events for long-term psychological sequelae. [Author Abstract] KEY WORDS: disasters; life change events; September 11 terrorist attacks; PTSD: terrorism

BACKGROUND AND AIM: To document long-term prevalence trends and changes in PTSD, Current Major Depression (MD), Agoraphobia, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), and Panic Disorder, in two groups of people with different levels of exposure to a massive terrorist attack. METHODS: Cohort study. Two random samples of people exposed to a terrorist attack, the injured (n = 127) and community residents (n = 485) were followed and assessed, 2 and 18 months after the event. RESULTS: Among the injured, 2 and 18 months after the attack, the prevalences were respectively, PTSD: 44.1% and 34%, MD: 31.5% and 23.7%, Agoraphobia: 23.8% and 20.7%, GAD: 13.4% and 12.4% and Panic Disorder: 9.4% and 11.3%. The corresponding figures among residents were PTSD: 12.3% and 3.5%, MD: 8.5% and 5.4%, Agoraphobia: 10.5% and 8.7%, GAD: 8.6%, and 8.2% and Panic Disorder 2.1% and 2.7%. CONCLUSIONS: 2 months after the event, the prevalence of mental disorders among both injured and residents was higher than expected levels at baseline conditions. 18 months after the event, psychopathological conditions did not change significantly among the injured but returned to the expected baseline rates among community residents. [Author Abstract] KEY WORDS: mental disorders; psychopathology; traumatic event; terrorism

Background: Terrorist attacks are traumatic events that may result in a wide range of psychological disorders for people exposed. This review aimed to systematically assess the current evidence on major depressive disorder (MDD) after terrorist attacks. Methods: A systematic review was performed. Studies included assessed the impact of human-made, intentional, terrorist attacks in direct victims and/or persons in general population and evaluated MDD based on diagnostic criteria. Results: A total of 567 reports were identified, 11 of which were eligible for this review: 6 carried out with direct victims, 4 with persons in general population, and 1 with victims and general population. The reviewed literature suggests that the risk of MDD ranges between 20 and 30% in direct victims and between 4 and 10% in the general population in the first few months after terrorist attacks. Characteristics that tend to increase risk of MDD after a terrorist attack are female gender, having experienced more stressful situations before or after the attack, peritraumatic reactions during the attack, loss of psychosocial resources, and low social support. The course of MDD after terrorist attacks is less clear due to the scarcity of longitudinal studies. Conclusions: Methodological limitations in the literature of this field are considered and potentially important areas for future research such as the assessment of the course of MDD, the study of correlates of MDD or the comorbidity between MDD and other mental health problems are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)(journal abstract)

Since the tragic events of 9/11, Americans have lived with the shadow of a future terrorist attack hanging over their heads. By placing terrorism within the larger context of disasters, the authors review the different types of disasters and the unique response to each. The authors review natural disasters (like earthquakes and forest fires), technological accidents (like bridge collapses), and willful human caused incidents of violence (like terrorism). The authors suggest that incidents in this last category are the those that ultimately cause individuals the most distress. The authors go on to describe terrorist acts and classify them according to their methods of attack, providing important information of what to expect in the wake of these different sub categories of attack. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

BACKGROUND: Relatively few studies of children exposed to trauma have used objective indicators such as heart rate and blood pressure measurements to assess physiological reactivity. METHODS: This pilot study examined physiological reactivity (heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure) and emotional indicators (posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms) in 17 children of directly exposed Oklahoma City bombing survivors and in 17 demographically matched community comparison children, 7 years after the incident. RESULTS: Despite generally low levels of subjectively reported posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms 7 years after the disaster, the children of survivors showed heightened objectively measured physiological reactivity relative to the comparison group. The extent to which this heightened physiological reactivity in the children of survivors was pathologic is unclear. Only 1 participant reported high levels of posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms; this individual also demonstrated physiological reactivity. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest children of disaster survivors may experience physiological reactivity despite absence of direct exposure to the trauma or acknowledgement of symptoms. These findings indicate the physiological effects of trauma may endure separate from subjective affect in the offspring of highly exposed disaster survivors. More research is needed to determine the potential consequences of persistent physiological reactivity. [Author Abstract] KEY WORDS: disaster; indirect trauma exposure; physiological reactivity; posttraumatic stress; terrorism; trauma; Oklahoma City bombing

A wealth of research and experience after 9/11 has led to the development of evidence-based and evidence-informed guidelines and strategies to support the design and implementation of public mental health programs after terrorism and disaster. This article reviews advances that have been made in a variety of areas, including development of improved metrics and methodologies for conducting needs assessment, screening, surveillance, and program evaluation; clarification of risk and resilience factors as these relate to varying outcome trajectories for survivors and inform interventions; development and implementation of evidence-based and evidence-informed early, midterm, and late interventions for children, adults, and families; adaptation of interventions for cultural, ethnic, and minority groups; improvement in strategies to expand access to postdisaster mental health services; and enhancement of training methods and platforms for workforce development among psychologists, paraprofessionals, and other disaster responders. Continuing improvement of psychologists' national capacity to respond to catastrophic events will require more systematic research to strengthen the evidence base for postdisaster screening and interventions and effective methods and platforms for training. Policy decisions are clearly needed that enhance federal funding to increase availability and access to services, especially for longer term care. Traumatic bereavement represents a critical area for future research, as much needs to be done to clarify issues related to reactions and adaptation to a traumatic death. [Author Abstract] KEY WORDS: disaster intervention; disaster mental health; crisis intervention; prevention; terrorism

This study examined the role of several hypothesized predictors of the impact of a potentially traumatic event, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (9/11), on a sample of women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) and related posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). We found that IPV-related PTSS mediated the relationship between IPV and 9/11-related PTSS, confirming the hypothesis that severity of symptoms related to prior trauma plays a role in the development and severity of PTSS related to subsequent potentially traumatic events. Media exposure and threat appraisal were significantly positively associated with 9/11-related PTSS, whereas social support was significantly negatively associated with 9/11-related PTSS, with none of these variables serving as moderators of the relationship between IPV-related and 9/11-related PTSS. Our results suggest that trauma-related psychiatric history is an important factor in the development of PTSS subsequent to an additional potentially traumatic event, even after adjusting for relevant variables occurring at the time of that event. [Author Abstract]

OBJECTIVE: Empirically based studies have demonstrated that prolonged exposure therapy effectively reduces PTSD symptoms in a vast range of traumas, yet reports of the efficacy of such therapies in combat- and terror-related PTSD are scarce. In this article, we examine the efficacy of prolonged exposure therapy in combat- and terror-related PTSD in comparison to treatment as usual (TAU). METHOD: Between July 2002 and October 2005, 30 patients of a trauma unit within a psychiatric outpatient clinic were recruited and randomized into prolonged exposure versus TAU therapies. Patients were diagnosed with chronic PTSD (Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview criteria) related to combat- (n = 19) or terror- related (n = 11) trauma. Main outcome measures included symptoms of PTSD and depression, as measured by the PTSD Symptom Scale-Interview Version and the Beck Depression Inventory. RESULTS: PTSD symptom severity was significantly lower in patients who received prolonged exposure therapy in comparison to patients who received TAU (F1,24 = 35.3, P < .001). Similar results have emerged in measures of depression and state and trait anxiety. In addition, a significant change from pretreatment to follow-up was found for the prolonged exposure group (F1,14 = 80.5, P < .0001), but not for the TAU group (F1,10.3 = 0.6, P = .44). CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate that, similar to PTSD related to other types of trauma, prolonged exposure therapy is beneficial in the amelioration of combat- and terror-related PTSD symptoms. In addition, prolonged exposure was superior to TAU in the short- and long- term reduction of PTSD and depression symptoms. [Author Abstract] TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00229372