Few New York City Children Received Counseling after Sept. 11 Terrorist Attacks, Finds New Academy Study in the Journal Pediatrics

NEW YORK CITY, May 3???Only 10 percent of New York City children received some counseling after the September 11 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center although many more may have needed it, according to a study by The New York Academy of Medicine in the latest issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Children who were already in counseling before the attacks, and those who experienced severe or very severe symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after the attacks, were most likely to receive counseling. But nearly three-quarters of youths who most needed professional help went without, leaving their severe or very severe PTSD untreated.

Few New York City children received counseling after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, though it could have proved useful to many.

???Additional efforts are needed to identify children who may require mental health services, both after traumatic events and in general,??? said Gerry Fairbrother, Ph.D., Senior Scientist in the Academy Division of Health and Science Policy and lead author of the study. ???Pediatricians could play an important role in performing more screening and referrals after a disaster.??? In ordinary times, between 60 and 70 percent of school-aged children in the United States visit a physician annually.

Researchers found that among the 10 percent of city children who did receive counseling after the Sept. 11 attacks, nearly half (44 percent) received it in schools from teachers, school psychologists or counselors. About one-third met with mental health professionals outside of the schools, while the remainder received counseling from other sources. The study was based on a random-digit-dial telephone survey in New York City of 434 parents of children between the ages of 4-17, conducted four months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. It builds upon a strong body of Sept. 11 research previously published by Academy scientists.

Co-authors of the paper, ???Unmet Need for Counseling After September 11th,??? are: Jennifer Stuber, Ph.D., Sandro Galea, M.D., Dr. P.H., and, Alan R. Fleischman, M.D., all of the Academy; and, Betty Pfefferbaum, M.D., J.D., of the University of Oklahoma.

The New York Academy of Medicine is a non-profit institution founded in 1847 that is dedicated to enhancing the health of the public through research, education and advocacy, with a particular focus on urban populations, especially the disadvantaged.

Posted on May 3, 2004

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