Anger and posttraumatic stress disorder in disaster relief workers exposed to the september 11, 2001 world trade center disaster: One-year follow-up study

Nimali Jayasinghe, Cezar Giosan, Susan Evans, Lisa Spielman, Joann Difede

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

35 Scopus citations

Abstract

Although anger is an important feature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) it is unclear whether it is simply concomitant or plays a role in maintaining symptoms. A previous study of disaster workers responding to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 () indicated that those with PTSD evidenced more severe anger than those without. The purpose of this study was to conduct a 1-year follow-up to assess the role of anger in maintaining PTSD. Workers with PTSD continued to report more severe anger than those without; there were statistically significant associations between changes in anger, PTSD severity, depression, and psychiatric distress. Multiple regression analysis indicated initial anger severity to be a significant predictor of PTSD severity at follow-up, which is consistent with the notion that anger maintains PTSD. One implication is that disaster workers with high anger may benefit from early intervention to prevent chronic PTSD.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)844-846
Number of pages3
JournalJournal of Nervous and Mental Disease
Volume196
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2008
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Anger
  • Disaster workers
  • Longitudinal
  • PTSD

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