Mental health impact of the World Trade Center attacks on displaced Chinese workers

To identify psychological sequelae of the World Trade Center attacks in immigrant Chinese displaced workers, we interviewed 77 displaced workers in May 2002. One third of the sample was classified as at least moderately depressed, and 21% met diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder; however, few had utilized mental health services. Depression and PTSD scores were positively correlated with age, age at immigration to the United States, and prescription drug use after September 11th, among other variables. Results suggest the need for mental health outreach in this community. This outreach should target both displaced workers and their informal support networks to facilitate identification of and service access for those impacted by the attacks.