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AJPH First Look, published online ahead of print Aug 29, 2007
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October 2007, Vol 97, No. 10 | American Journal of Public Health 1852-1858
© 2007 American Public Health Association
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2006.090514

RESEARCH AND PRACTICE

Exposure to Terrorism and Israeli Youths’ Cigarette, Alcohol, and Cannabis Use

Miriam Schiff, PhD, Hillah Haim Zweig, MSW, Rami Benbenishty, PhD and Deborah S. Hasin, PhD

Miriam Schiff, Hillah Haim Zweig, and Rami Benbenishty are with the School of Social Work and Social Welfare, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel. Deborah Hasin is with the Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Deborah Hasin, PhD, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Dr, Box 123, New York, NY 10032 (e-mail: dsh2{at}columbia.edu)

Objectives. We investigated the consequences of exposure to acts of terrorism among Israeli adolescents. We examined whether exposure to terrorism predicted adolescents’ use of cigarettes, alcohol (including binge drinking), and cannabis after we controlled for posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms and background variables.

Methods. Anonymous self-administered questionnaires were given to a random sample of 960 10th and 11th grade students (51.6% boys, 48.4% girls) in a large city in northern Israel.

Results. Close physical exposure to acts of terrorism predicted higher levels of alcohol consumption (including binge drinking among drinkers) and cannabis use. These relationships remained even after we controlled for posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms.

Conclusions. In addition to posttraumatic stress symptoms, negative consequences of terrorism exposure among adolescents included substance abuse. The similarity between our findings among Israeli adolescents and previous findings among US adults suggests cross-cultural generalizability. Given the risks for later problems from early-onset substance abuse, the consequences of terrorism exposure among adolescents merit greater research and clinical attention.




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D. S. Hasin, K. M. Keyes, M. L. Hatzenbuehler, E. A. Aharonovich, and D. Alderson
Alcohol Consumption and Posttraumatic Stress After Exposure to Terrorism: Effects of Proximity, Loss, and Psychiatric History
Am J Public Health, December 1, 2007; 97(12): 2268 - 2275.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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