Full text

Turn on search term navigation

© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Extensive research has explored the enduring effects of childhood trauma on health, revealing its potential to produce chronic health problems. Despite findings that adults exposed to 9/11 suffer from enduring concurrent psychiatric and physical illnesses, investigations into the long-term physical–psychiatric comorbidities experienced by children and adolescents affected by the 9/11 trauma remain limited. In our study, we examined individuals directly exposed to 9/11 as children (N = 844 high exposure and N = 104 low exposed) and compared them to a matched unexposed, control group (N = 491). Fourteen years after their 9/11 exposure, we evaluated their physical and mental health conditions using parent- or youth self-reported health questionnaires, including psychiatric assessments. Those individuals with high 9/11 exposure were significantly more likely to have experienced a psychiatric disorder in the past year and a lifetime physical health condition compared to unexposed individuals. Moreover, the prevalence of physical–psychiatric comorbidities was higher among the 9/11-exposed group, with a 3.5-fold increased prevalence compared to the unexposed group. This underscores how exposure to traumatic events during childhood heightens the risk of long-term concurrent mental and physical health issues. Our findings also highlight the importance of early and ongoing interventions to prevent future comorbidities and promote better quality of life throughout the lifespan.

Details

Title
The Long-Term Physical–Psychiatric Comorbidities Related to Childhood Exposure to 9/11 Trauma
Author
Amsel, Lawrence 1 ; Cycowicz, Yael M 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Rodriguez-Moreno, Diana V 1 ; Keely Cheslack-Postava 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; McReynolds, Larkin S 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Musa, George J 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Hoven, Christina W 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA; [email protected] (Y.M.C.); ; Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA 
 New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA; [email protected] (Y.M.C.); ; Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA 
First page
988
Publication year
2024
Publication date
2024
Publisher
MDPI AG
ISSN
1661-7827
e-ISSN
1660-4601
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3097921257
Copyright
© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.