Faculty Collaboration Database

The relationship between terrorism and distress and drinking: two years after September 11, 2001. Subst Use Misuse 2009;44(12):1665-80

Date

11/10/2009

Pubmed ID

19895299

Pubmed Central ID

PMC4154359

DOI

10.3109/10826080902961989

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-70449509618 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   7 Citations

Abstract

This study examined: 1) the prevalence of negative beliefs related to terrorism and 2) whether these beliefs were related to distress and drinking. Respondents (N = 1453) in a five-wave longitudinal cohort study sampled from a United States university workplace were surveyed by mail between 1996 and 2003. Instruments assessed were: negative beliefs related to 9/11/01, distress (depression, anxiety, somatization, PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder]), and drinking (frequency, quantity, escapist motives, binge drinking, drinking to intoxication, and problem-related drinking). Regression analyses examined relationships between beliefs and mental health. A sizable percentage of respondents experienced terrorism-related negative beliefs. Higher negative belief scores were related to greater distress and problematic drinking in 2003, controlling for sociodemographic variables and (in most cases) pre-9/11 distress and drinking. Study limitations were noted and future research was recommended.

Author List

Richman JA, Shannon CA, Rospenda KM, Flaherty JA, Fendrich M

Author

Michael Fendrich PhD Professor in the Emergency Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Alcohol Drinking
Fear
Female
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Mental Health
Prevalence
September 11 Terrorist Attacks
Sex Characteristics
Stress, Psychological
Terrorism
United States