World Trade Center Exposure and Posttraumatic Growth: Assessing Positive Psychological Change 15 Years after 9/11.

Cristina D Pollari,Robert M Brackbill,Jonathan Davidov,Lisa M Gargano,Pninit Russo-Netzer,James E Cone,Shane W Adams,Jennifer Brite,Victoria Banyard

doi:10.3390/ijerph18010104

Abstract

We evaluated the presence of posttraumatic growth (PTG) among survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attack and how indicators of psychosocial well-being, direct 9/11-related exposure, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) relate to PTG. PTG was examined among 4934 participants using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to determine if the original factor structure of the PTGI fits our data and principal component analysis (PCA) to identify the appropriate factor structure. Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine the association between PTG and indicators of psychosocial well-being, 9/11-related exposure, and PTSS, controlling for covariates. CFA identified a two-factor structure of the PTGI as a better fit than the original five-factor model. Participants who experienced very high 9/11-related exposure level (ß = 7.72; 95% CI: 5.75–9.70), higher PTSS at waves 1 (ß = 0.13; 95% CI: 0.08–0.18) and 2 (ß = 0.09; 95% CI: 0.05–0.14), high social integration (ß = 5.71; 95% CI: 4.47, 6.96), greater social support (ß = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.37, 0.61), and higher self-efficacy (ß = 1.26; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.48) had higher PTGI scores. Our findings suggest PTG is present, 15 years following the 9/11 terrorist attack. Very high-level 9/11 exposure, PTSS, and indicators of psychosocial well-being were associated with PTG.

Highlights

IntroductionNegative health outcomes are highly emphasized in public health and related disciplines
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.license.Negative health outcomes are highly emphasized in public health and related disciplines
The original factor structure of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) did not apply to the World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR) enrollees

Summary

Introduction

Negative health outcomes are highly emphasized in public health and related disciplines. While these outcomes are important and necessary to monitor, positive outcomes and attributes of well-being are an integral aspect of one’s health [1]. Despite there being an overwhelming amount of evidence showing the negative effects of trauma, recent research has explored the positive changes that can arise [8,9,10,11]. The concept of posttraumatic growth (PTG), developed by Tedeschi and Calhoun, refers to the positive psychological change following a traumatic event that results in higher-level functioning [12]. PTG allows individuals to surpass pre-trauma functioning and not return to their baseline level of functioning [13]

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