SLS Web Magazine

9-11 Trauma Response Assessment Test Results

BY: Dr. Michael Nuccitelli

Summary

SLS has completed its data collection from the 9-11 Trauma Response Assessments. We would like to say thank you to all who participated. We would also like to announce that the 9-11 Assessment has been updated and formatted to assess for "Terrorist Trauma Response".

Trauma Levels of Men & Women

Degree of reported Distress

Results Interpretation:

Our 9/11 trauma survey showed that women are reporting a higher level of post 9/11 trauma than men in all age groups except the 50-59 group. One possible explanation for this is that women may be experiencing greater distress because of elevated concerns about their children. By the 50-59 age group children have reached adult age and women´s level of distress then equal men´s. In the 60 plus group the presence of grandchildren may then increase woman´s distress over men´s once again.

When web site visitors were asked about how they have been most affected by 9/11 26% of respondents said they were more patriotic, followed by more concerned about their children (18%) and being more stressed in general (14%).

You might also be interested in the following article:
An American Parent Living in a Terrorist Society

Detailed 9/11 Trauma Response Test Results

The trauma response test scores can range from 28 to 170, corresponding to the following trauma levels:


none	28-44	You have adjusted effectively and processed the terrorist attacks without suffering chronic psychological distress.

minimal	45-59	You have adjusted well to the terrorist incidents but are experiencing occasional symptoms of anxiety and/or depression.

mild	60-79	You are experiencing mild trauma response signs and symptoms that may have been caused or influenced by the terrorist attacks. Your score indicates you are experiencing mild signs of anxiety and/or depression that could become more apparent.

moderate	80-109	You are experiencing moderate trauma response signs and symptoms that have been caused or influenced by the terrorist attacks. You are suffering psychological and/or physiological distress that requires professional assistance.

severe	110-170	You are experiencing severe trauma response signs and symptoms that may have been caused or influenced by the terrorist attacks. Your psychological and/or physiological distress has become debilitating and requires immediate healthcare attention.

Average Trauma Response of Men and Women at different ages

What we found:

Women have been more affected by 9/11 than Men, except for Women in the 50-59 age range
The older you are, the more you have been traumatized by 9/11
The average respondent reports a mild level of traumatization with the average trauma score being 68.5

Trauma levels for men and women

What we found:

Women average mild to moderate traumatization due to 9/11
Men average minimal to mild traumatization due to 9/11
The average trauma score for women is 73.6, which is towards the high end of mild traumatization
The average trauma score for men is 64.1, which is towards the low end of mild traumatization

Striking responses to individual questions:

What we found:

Reading/watching about 9/11 affects women significantly more than men
Almost half of the women responding have become fearful of flying
Men have not become fearful of flying
One third of the women are anxious about further terror attacks
Men are not anxious about further terror attacks
40% of women avoid media coverage of 9/11
Men do not avoid media coverage of 9/11
9/11 is the source of bad dreams/nightmares for 1/3 of the women
9/11 is not a significant source of bad dreams/nightmares for men

According to our Respondents 9/11 did not significantly affect any of the following:

Alcohol / drug use
Eating patterns
Sleeping patterns
Desire for intimacy
Physical health (colds, sicknesses, stomachaches, indigestion or heartburn)
Number of visits to the doctor

SLS 9/11 Mind Poll Results

Question:
How have you been MOST affected by the September 11th attacks?

What we found:

The 9/11 attacks have made America more patriotic
Parents worry a lot more about their kids since 9/11
9/11 is an additional stress factor affecting peoples lives
People are worried about additional terrorist attacks (for example biological or nuclear attacks)
Vacation plans have been affected by 9/11 but daily routines have not

The results and analysis presented here are based on a nonrandom sample of several thousand adults gathered in the time period from 09/07/2002 to 10/06/2002.

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