Tag Archives: post traumatic stress disorder

Pregnancies during 9/11 unaffected by mom's PTSD

Pregnant Women Not Affected by 9/11 Trauma

Pregnancies during 9/11 unaffected by mom's PTSD
Pregnant women stress during 9/11 did not affect births

Women in our area who were pregnant during the September 11th attacks were not found to have at risk births according to a recently published study.

Extensive studies have been held to determine the long and short term effects of the 9/11 attacks on mental and physical healths, but this study is one of the first to demonstrate a little to no effects on unborn babies during that time.  This is in contrast to a previous study that had found that children exposed to the 9/11 attacks in our area were found to be developmentally vulnerable.

Researchers examined the birth outcomes of 446 women who had worked or lived in our area and were pregnant at that time.

Because the income levels of the women were higher than most New Yorkers, they were compared against women in a similar income bracket who did not live in the area, excluding women who were on Medicaid.

Of those mothers who claimed to be suffering from post traumatic stress symptoms, some were found to have given birth to more low-weight and premature babies than those without.

The entire study can be found in the Obstetrics and Gynecology publication which was released yesterday.

Study says direct exposure to 9/11 plays a role in mental development

Children Exposed to 9/11 Found Developmentally Vulnerable

Study says direct exposure to 9/11 plays a role in mental development
Study says direct exposure to 9/11 plays a role in behavior development.

If your child was directly exposed to the traumas of 9/11, he/she may have been vulnerable to behavioral problems — according to a newly published report in the July/August issue of ‘Child Development.’

Researchers conducted two studies based on children living in Lower Manhattan who were directly exposed to 9/11. The exposure included being a direct witness to the attacks a well as living in homes where their mothers were suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. In this first clinical study, preschool children exposed to 9/11 were found to be directly vulnerable to behavioral problems.

Mount Sinai School of Medicine, the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services and the Bronx Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center were part of the overall research team conducting the first study including the analysis of 100 moms and their children — directly exposed to the 9/11 attacks.

In a second study involved the analysis of adolescents and their mothers in our area. That study found that even a year after 9/11 both mothers and children reported elevated reports of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

The following research team included the University of Michigan, New York University and the Austin Independent School District, as well as the Sesame Workshop.

According to an article on Sify.com, “Direct exposure to the events of 9/11 played a small, but significant role in explaining the severity of mental health symptoms.”

The Lower Manhattan families were part of a recruitment outreach program of those affected by the attacks from March 2003 through December 2005.

The findings indicate the need to further understand the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and the parent child relationship.