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The September 11th 2001 Terrorist Attacks and Reports of Posttraumatic Growth among a Multi-Ethnic Sample of Adolescents

Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, milam{at}usc.edu

Anamara Ritt-Olson

Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

Sylvia Tan

Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

Jennifer Unger

Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

Ellie Nezami

Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

Correlates of posttraumatic growth (PTG), the construing of benefits from a traumatic event, attributed to the September 11^th terrorist attacks were examined among 513 middle school adolescents (mean age=13.5 years; 63% female; 44% Hispanic/Latino, 25% Asian, 16% White, 10% multiethnic/other, and 4% Persian; all residing in California). One-third of the participants, on average, reported experiencing positive changes post- 9/11 in the following areas: appreciation of life, life priorities, spirituality, relationships, and self-reliance. Hispanic and White, compared to Persian (largely Iranian), participants had significantly higher PTG scores. Discussion of the terrorist attacks, identification with a religion, and optimism were positively associated with PTG, while alcohol use, depressive symptoms, and anxiety were inversely associated with PTG. Ethnicity, discussion of the terrorist attacks, identification with a religion, optimism, anxiety, and alcohol use remained associated with PTG after adjusting for the other variables in a multiple regression analysis. Results suggest there are positive aspects of the psychological sequelae following the 9/11 attacks and these positive changes are associated with other salutary psychological and behavioral factors.

Key Words: posttraumatic growth • perceived benefits • September 11th terrorist attacks • optimism

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