Journal
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
Volume 273, Issue -, Pages 719-724Publisher
ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2019.01.090
Keywords
Post-traumatic stress disorder; Hurricane Sandy; World Trade Center; Optimism; Trajectories
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Funding
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [2U50/OH009739, 5U50/OH009739]
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), CDC [U50/ATU272750]
- National Center for Environmental Health, CDC
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH)
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This study evaluated the impact of pre-Hurricane Sandy (Sandy) post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) trajectories on the relationship between Sandy exposures and post-Sandy 9/11-related PTSD among World Trade Center Health Registry (Registry) enrollees. The study population included 3,199 adult Registry enrollees who completed three surveys prior to Sandy in 2003-4, 2006-7, and 2011-12; a post-Hurricane Sandy survey (2013); and a follow-up survey in 2015-16. PTSD was assessed using the PTSD Checklist (PCL). Latent class growth analysis was used to identify groups of enrollees who shared a similar trajectory of change in PCL score in the time period prior to Sandy. We compared enrollees in each trajectory group to assess the impact of Sandy-related PTSD, Sandy exposures, and optimism on 9/11-related PTSD status post-Sandy (2015-16) using bivariate analyses and multivariable log-binomial regression. Sandy-related PTSD was the strongest predictor of subsequent 9/11-related PTSD. Lower optimism and higher Sandy exposure significantly predicted 9/11-related PTSD only in some trajectory groups. Hurricane Sandy may have exacerbated previously resolved symptoms of 9/11-related PTSD. This indicates a need after a disaster to assess and address mental health sequelae from previous traumatic exposures.
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