文章基本信息

标题：Exposure to the World Trade Center Attack and the Use of Cigarettes and Alcohol Among New York City Public High-School Students
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作者：Ping Wu ; Cristiane S. Duarte ; Donald J. Mandell 等
期刊名称：American journal of public health
印刷版ISSN：0090-0036
出版年度：2006
卷号：96
期号：5
页码：804-807
DOI：10.2105/AJPH.2004.058925
语种：English
出版社：American Public Health Association
摘要：We examined exposure to the World Trade Center attack and changes in cigarette smoking and drinking among 2731 New York City public high-school students evaluated 6 months after the attack. Increased drinking was associated with direct exposure to the World Trade Center attack ( P < .05). Increased smoking was not directly associated with exposure to the World Trade Center attack but was marginally significantly associated with posttraumatic stress disorder ( P = .06). Our findings suggest that targeted substance-use interventions for youths may be warranted after large-scale disasters. Millions of Americans, especially those living in New York City, were affected, many of them traumatically, by the World Trade Center (WTC) attack on September 11, 2001. Studies of adults have documented elevated rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 1 psychological stress, 2 ^, 3 and substance use immediately after the attack. 4 ^– 6 The immediate effect on children and adolescents of the WTC attack was not assessed as intensively as it was on adults. 7 ^– 9 Studies have shown increases in substance use in relation to exposure to trauma and PTSD, suggesting that substance use may develop as one attempts to relieve traumatic memories, sleep disturbances, and other PTSD symptoms. 10 ^– 13 To our knowledge, no studies have been published assessing exposure to the WTC attack and changes in cigarette smoking and alcohol use among adolescents. We sought to understand (1) how different types of exposure to the WTC attack contributed to an increase in smoking and/or drinking among New York City adolescents, and (2) whether PTSD related to the WTC attack can explain increases in use of cigarettes and alcohol among New York City adolescents.