Israeli adolescents with ongoing exposure to terrorism: Suicidal ideation, posttraumatic stress disorder, and functional impairment

• Published in: Journal of traumatic stress Vol. 24; no. 6; pp. 756 - 759
• Main Authors: Chemtob, Claude M., Pat-Horenczyk, Ruth, Madan, Anita, Pitman, Seth R., Wang, Yanping, Doppelt, Osnat, Burns, Kelly Dugan, Abramovitz, Robert, Brom, Daniel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germantown Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.12.2011; Wiley; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Anxiety disorders. Neuroses; Biological and medical sciences; Child psychology; Disabled Children; Female; Humans; Israel - epidemiology; Likelihood Functions; Logistic Models; Male; Medical sciences; Post traumatic stress disorder; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Risk factors; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Suicidal Ideation; Suicide; Suicides & suicide attempts; Surveys and Questionnaires; Terrorism; Terrorism - psychology; Israel; Human; Terrorism; Dysfunction; Anxiety disorder; Adolescent; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Exposure; Suicide ideation; Stress
• ISSN: 0894-9867; 1573-6598
• DOI: 10.1002/jts.20708

In this study, we examined the relationships among terrorism exposure, functional impairment, suicidal ideation, and probable partial or full posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from exposure to terrorism in adolescents continuously exposed to this threat in Israel. A convenience sample of 2,094 students, aged 12 to 18, was drawn from 10 Israeli secondary schools. In terms of demographic factors, older age was associated with increased risk for suicidal ideation, OR = 1.33, 95% CI [1.09, 1.62], p < .01, but was protective against probable partial or full PTSD, OR = 0.72, 95% CI [0.54, 0.95], p < .05; female gender was associated with greater likelihood of probable partial or full PTSD, OR = 1.57, 95% CI [1.02, 2.40], p < .05. Exposure to trauma due to terrorism was associated with increased risk for each of the measured outcomes including probable partial or full PTSD, functional impairment, and suicidal ideation. When age, gender, level of exposure to terrorism, probable partial or full PTSD, and functional impairment were examined together, only terrorism exposure and functional impairment were associated with suicidal ideation. This study underscores the importance and feasibility of examining exposure to terrorism and functional impairment as risk factors for suicidal ideation. Traditional and Simplified Chinese s by AsianSTSS