Adolescent Substance Abuse Articles
Study examines effects of World Trade Center attacks on survivors
By Staff Writer
The results of a recent study of the 3,271 individuals who evacuated the World Trade Center (WTC) towers indicate that almost 96 percent of these survivors reported at least one symptom of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Research for the study was conducted by Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, in conjunction with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the federal Agency for Toxic Substances Disease Registry.
In the study, researchers based their findings on the interviews of 3,271 English-speaking civilian survivors. These individuals were enrolled in the WTC Health Registry, which tracks the health of more than 71,000 people who were directly exposed to the attacks.
Of the survivors, 91 percent were above the impact zone in the second tower and began their evacuation after the first plane struck 1WTC. A total of 94 percent of the survivors said they witnessed horror while 32 percent suffered an injury. Almost 61 percent of the survivors were caught in the dust cloud, which followed the tower collapses.
Survivors who make less than $25,000 per year were shown to be eight times more likely to have PTSD than individuals who make more than $100,000 per year.
According to researchers, this was the first study to investigate the effects of the disaster on non-rescue and recovery workers.
