Citation

Herberman Mash HB, Ursano RJ, Benevides KN, Fullerton CS. J. Trauma. Stress 2016; 29(1): 41-48.

Affiliation

Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/jts.22069

PMID

26749085

Abstract

In October 2002, a series of sniper attacks in the Washington, DC area left 10 people dead and 3 wounded. We examined the association between identification with terrorist victims and psychological and behavioral outcomes. Participants were 1,238 residents of the Washington, DC area (ages 18-90 years; M = 41.73, SD = 12.56) who completed the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and items pertaining to identification with attack victims approximately 3 weeks following the first sniper shooting. We examined 3 types of identification with the victims: (a) as like oneself, (b) as like a friend, and (c) as like a family member. The relationships of identification to posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms were examined using linear regression analyses. Greater total identification was associated with more posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms (B = 0.27, p <.001, and B = 0.44, p <.001, respectively), after adjusting for demographics. Those who specifically identified with the victims as either self (B = 0.24, p <.001), friend (B = 0.30, p <.001), or family member (B = 0.27, p <.001) reported more PTSD symptoms (n = 1,101). Identifying with victims as like a friend or family member, but not as like oneself, was associated with increased depressive symptoms (B = 0.61, p <.001, and B = 0.45, p =.01, respectively; n = 1,222). Presence and type of identification play a differential role in psychological and behavioral responses during traumatic events.

Language: en