The Relationship Between Terrorism and Distress and Drinking: Two Years After September 11, 2001

This study examined: 1) the prevalence of negative beliefs related to terrorism and 2) whether these beliefs were related to distress and drinking. Respondents (N=1453) in a five-wave longitudinal cohort study sampled from a United States university workplace were surveyed by mail between 1996 and 2003. Instruments assessed were: negative beliefs related to 9/11/01, distress (depression, anxiety, somatization, PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder]), and drinking (frequency, quantity, escapist motives, binge drinking, drinking to intoxication, and problem-related drinking). Regression analyses examined relationships between beliefs and mental health. A sizable percentage of respondents experienced terrorism-related negative beliefs. Higher negative belief scores were related to greater distress and problematic drinking in 2003, controlling for sociodemographic variables and (in most cases) pre-9/11 distress and drinking. Study limitations were noted and future research was recommended.