Table 1. Measurements and Assessment Timeframes used in WTCD Study*.
| Measurement Domains | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Mental health status measures | DSM-IV PTSD (lifetime, 12 months after WTCD, 24 months after WTCD) | DSM-IV major depression (lifetime, 12 months after WTCD, 24 months after WTCD) | PTSD and depression screeners (12 months after WTCD, 24 months after WTCD) | BSI-18 symptom scale (12 months after WTCD, 24 months after WTCD) |
| 2. Other mental health measures | DSM-IV Panic attack (lifetime, 12 months after WTCD, 24 months after WTCD) | Peri-event panic attack during or immediately after WTCD | Suicidal thoughts (post-WTCD only) | Fear of death (post-WTCD only) |
| 3. Substance use/misuse measures | Tobacco use (lifetime, 12 months after WTCD, 24 months after WTCD) | Alcohol consumption (12 months before WTCD, 12 months after, 24 months after WTCD) | Binge drinking (12 months before WTCD, 12 months after, 24 months after WTCD) | Alcohol dependence (12 months before WTCD, 12 months after, 24 months after WTCD) |
| 4. Healthcare visits and Treatment measures | Outpatient medical visits/hospitalizations (lifetime, 12 months after WTCD, 24 months after WTCD) | Outpatient mental health visits & hospitalizations (lifetime, 12 months after WTCD, 24 months after WTCD) | Psychotropic medication use (lifetime, 12 months after WTCD, 24 months after WTCD) | Mental health interventions & access to care (12 months after WTCD, 24 months after WTCD) |
| 5. Stress exposure measures | Level of exposure to WTCD events (12 months after WTCD) | Traumatic event exposures (lifetime, 12 months after WTCD, 24 months after WTCD) | Stressful life events (12 months before WTCD, 24 months after WTCD) | Stress report during household interview |
| 6. Social/community resources measures | Social support (12 months after WTCD, 24 months after WTCD) | Assistance from friends & neighbors (12 months after WTCD, 24 months after WTCD) | Social capital scale (lifetime) | Community-level census & health data for year 2000 |
| 7. Psychological and personality measures | Rosenberg self-esteem scale (12 months after WTCD, 24 months after WTCD) | Anomie hostility scale (lifetime) | Anti-social personality screen (lifetime) | History of attention deficient disorder (lifetime) |
| 8. Functional health status measures | SF-12: mental & physical functioning (12 months after WTCD, 24 months after WTCD) | Reported work productivity (12 months after WTCD, 24 months after WTCD) | Sleep disturbance and pain status (12 months after WTCD, 24 months after WTCD) | Leisure and household activities (12 months after WTCD, 24 months after WTCD) |
| 9. Demographic measures | Age, gender, income, education, ethnicity, race, immigration status, language spoken (current) | Physician status, insurance coverage, employment status (current) | Religion, church attendance (current) | Householdcomposition(current) |
| 10. Other measures | Use of alternative services (12 months after WTCD, 24 months after WTCD) | Disaster rescue & recovery involvement (12 months after WTCD) | Handedness scale (lifetime) | Physician reported medical conditions (lifetime) |
*
BSI-18 = Brief Symptom Inventory-18; SF-12 = Short-Form-12; DSM-IV = Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, Version IV; WTCD = World Trade Center Disaster.