Mental Health and Primary Care in a Time of Terrorism Psychological Impact of Terrorist Attacks

• Published in: Families systems & health Vol. 22; no. 1; pp. 7 - 30
• Main Authors: Miller, Arlene Michaels, Heldring, Margaret
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Rochester Educational Publishing Foundation 01-04-2004; American Psychological Association, Inc; American Psychological Association
• Subjects: Children; Company earnings/profit; Human; Impact analysis; Medical research; Mental Health; Primary care; Primary Health Care; Psychiatric Symptoms; Psychological Stress; Psychology; Resilience (Psychological); Risk factors (Health); Severity (Disorders); Terrorism; Trends; United States > US
• ISSN: 1091-7527; 1939-0602
• DOI: 10.1037/1091-7527.22.1.4a

The mobilization of
specialized mental health resources to assist victims and their families after the
September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks was impressive and unprecedented. Nevertheless,
primary-care settings are the first point of contact within the health care system for
most people. The purpose of this integrative review of literature is to examine existing
research literature regarding the psychological impact of the September 11 terrorist
events on adults and children and to identify directions for future research that will
guide resource development for health care providers. The review is organized around three
themes: (a) prevalence of psychological and somatic symptoms immediately after September
11, (b) trends in symptom reporting over time, and (c) correlates or predictors of
psychological symptom severity and resilience. The results of these studies are discussed
in relation to those of previous natural disasters and other terrorist attacks.
Recommendations for future research and implications for primary-care practice are
presented.