Terrorism and mental health focus of NIMH-fu...( Kent Ohio -- The Summa Health System-...),Health

Kent, Ohio -- The Summa Health System-Kent State University Center for the Treatment and Study of Traumatic Stress and the University of Haifa's Center for National Security Studies have been awarded a four-year, $2.25 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to study the impact of terrorism. The goal of the study is to reveal important lessons about people's vulnerability and resiliency in the face of a terrorist attack.

The study will be conducted in three parts and will focus on the nation of Israel and its citizens. The first part is a series of cross-sectional polling (Jews and Arabs) of mental health during a three year period. Part two is an analysis of 1,500 Israelis over a multi year period to determine how their mental health is impacted by terrorism. The final portion of the study is a small scale clinical review of 100-150 Jews and Arabs conducted with in-depth clinical interviews.

"Summa Health System, Kent State University and the University of Haifa are all to be commended for earning this grant," said Stevan Hobfoll, Ph.D., Kent State distinguished professor of psychology and director, Summa-KSU Center for the Treatment and Study of Traumatic Stress. "This study represents the largest prospective examination of how people are impacted by ongoing terrorism, and its findings will have important implications for the mental health not only of Israelis, but for people around the world."

The study has multiple goals, including:

• To further theoretical and empirical understanding of the psychological impact of ongoing terrorism on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression

• To identify whether psychological resistance resources (self-efficacy and social support) have diminished capacity for limiting the negative impact of terrorism over time and multiple terrorism events (to examine the process of diminished reserve capacity)

• To determine whether vulnerabi
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