A National Survey of Stress Reactions after the September 11, 2001, Terrorist Attacks

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 345; no. 20; pp. 1507 - 1512
• Main Authors: Schuster, Mark A, Stein, Bradley D, Jaycox, Lisa H, Collins, Rebecca L, Marshall, Grant N, Elliott, Marc N, Zhou, Annie J, Kanouse, David E, Morrison, Janina L, Berry, Sandra H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, MA Massachusetts Medical Society 15.11.2001
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Aircraft; Anxiety disorders. Neuroses; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child, Preschool; Children & youth; Data Collection; Female; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Interviews; Male; Medical sciences; New York City; Population; Post-traumatic stress disorder; Psychology, Child; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Random Allocation; Religion; Safety; Sensitivity analysis; Stress; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - etiology; Stress, Psychological - epidemiology; Stress, Psychological - etiology; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Television; Terrorism; Terrorism - psychology; United States - epidemiology; Volunteers - statistics & numerical data; New York City; United States; United States > US; Human; Survey; Terrorism; National organisation; Reaction; Trauma; Stress
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJM200111153452024

After the September 11 terrorist attacks, Americans experienced symptoms of psychological stress. This survey of U.S. adults performed just five days after the attacks quantifies the extent of the stress reactions. The terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, shook the nation. Television coverage was immediate, graphic, and pervasive. 1 – 3 Newscasts included remarkable video footage showing two airplanes crashing into the World Trade Center and the aftermath of four airplane crashes. 2 , 3 People who are present at a traumatic event often have symptoms of stress, but there is evidence that adults and children need not be present to have stress symptoms, 4 – 6 especially if they consider themselves similar to the victims. 4 The events on September 11 were widely described as attacks on America, and most or all Americans . . .