Psychological Reactions to Terrorist Attacks

To assess psychological symptom levels in the United States following the events of September 11 and to examine the association between postattack symptoms and a variety of indices of exposure to the events.

Web-based epidemiological survey of a nationally representative cross-sectional sample using the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist and the Brief Symptom Inventory, administered 1 to 2 months following the attacks. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Sample of 2273 adults, including oversamples of the New York, NY, and Washington, DC, metropolitan areas. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-reports of the symptoms of PTSD and of clinically significant nonspecific psychological distress; adult reports of symptoms of distress among children living in their households.