{"id":{"repo_id":"utswmed","oai_identifier":"oai:utswmed-ir.tdl.org:2152.5/1229"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/utswmed/oai:utswmed-ir.tdl.org:2152.5/1229","repository":{"repo_id":"utswmed","name":"University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center","base_url":"https://utswmed-ir.tdl.org/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Understanding the Psychosocial Impact of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks: a Qualitative Analysis of Focus Groups","abstract":"Much of the 9/11 mental health research to date has been focused on PTSD and posttraumatic stress symptoms. To better understand the broader experience of individuals following a disaster, exploratory focus groups were conducted with individuals from directly-exposed agencies and not directly-exposed agencies and Spanish- and Mandarin-speaking individuals being served by not directly-exposed agencies. Twenty-one focus groups with a total of 140 participants were conducted one to two years after 9/11. Transcribed focus group passages were coded into themes using qualitative analysis software. The five areas of concern identified in this study include the following themes: Disaster Experience, Emotional Sequelae, Workplace Issues, Coping, and Issues of Public Concern. The theme with the highest absolute number of passages for individuals from directly-exposed agencies was Emotional Sequelae. Issues of Public Concern was the theme with the highest absolute number of passages for individuals from not directly-exposed agencies, a Spanish-speaking focus group, and a Mandarin-speaking focus group. Most importantly, qualitative analysis of the content of discussion provided significant information about what was of greatest concern among directly-exposed and not directly-exposed focus groups and Spanish- and Mandarin-speaking focus groups following the 9/11 attacks. The variety of concerns discussed by participants across all groups highlighted both the unexplored and underexplored areas that may warrant future investigation as potential opportunities for development of post-disaster intervention. These concerns are much broader than simply PTSD or posttraumatic stress symptoms, which provides a different focus from that of most of the existing 9/11 mental health literature.","abstract_html":"Much of the 9/11 mental health research to date has been focused on PTSD and posttraumatic stress symptoms. To better understand the broader experience of individuals following a disaster, exploratory focus groups were conducted with individuals from directly-exposed agencies and not directly-exposed agencies and Spanish- and Mandarin-speaking individuals being served by not directly-exposed agencies. Twenty-one focus groups with a total of 140 participants were conducted one to two years after 9/11. Transcribed focus group passages were coded into themes using qualitative analysis software. The five areas of concern identified in this study include the following themes: Disaster Experience, Emotional Sequelae, Workplace Issues, Coping, and Issues of Public Concern. The theme with the highest absolute number of passages for individuals from directly-exposed agencies was Emotional Sequelae. Issues of Public Concern was the theme with the highest absolute number of passages for individuals from not directly-exposed agencies, a Spanish-speaking focus group, and a Mandarin-speaking focus group. Most importantly, qualitative analysis of the content of discussion provided significant information about what was of greatest concern among directly-exposed and not directly-exposed focus groups and Spanish- and Mandarin-speaking focus groups following the 9/11 attacks. The variety of concerns discussed by participants across all groups highlighted both the unexplored and underexplored areas that may warrant future investigation as potential opportunities for development of post-disaster intervention. These concerns are much broader than simply PTSD or posttraumatic stress symptoms, which provides a different focus from that of most of the existing 9/11 mental health literature.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Barney, Carissa Joy"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["North, Carol S."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-01-17T16:03:07Z","date_published":"2013-01-17T16:03:07Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:52:29Z","subjects":["September 11 Terrorist Attacks","Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic","Crisis Intervention"],"languages":["en"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["841763926"],"render_values":[{"text":"841763926","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2152.5/1229","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["North, Carol S."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Barney, Carissa Joy"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2013-01-17T16:03:07Z","2013-01-17"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis","Text"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["September 11 Terrorist Attacks","Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic","Crisis Intervention"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2152.5/1229","841763926"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Much of the 9/11 mental health research to date has been focused on PTSD and posttraumatic stress symptoms. To better understand the broader experience of individuals following a disaster, exploratory focus groups were conducted with individuals from directly-exposed agencies and not directly-exposed agencies and Spanish- and Mandarin-speaking individuals being served by not directly-exposed agencies. Twenty-one focus groups with a total of 140 participants were conducted one to two years after 9/11. Transcribed focus group passages were coded into themes using qualitative analysis software. The five areas of concern identified in this study include the following themes: Disaster Experience, Emotional Sequelae, Workplace Issues, Coping, and Issues of Public Concern. The theme with the highest absolute number of passages for individuals from directly-exposed agencies was Emotional Sequelae. Issues of Public Concern was the theme with the highest absolute number of passages for individuals from not directly-exposed agencies, a Spanish-speaking focus group, and a Mandarin-speaking focus group. Most importantly, qualitative analysis of the content of discussion provided significant information about what was of greatest concern among directly-exposed and not directly-exposed focus groups and Spanish- and Mandarin-speaking focus groups following the 9/11 attacks. The variety of concerns discussed by participants across all groups highlighted both the unexplored and underexplored areas that may warrant future investigation as potential opportunities for development of post-disaster intervention. These concerns are much broader than simply PTSD or posttraumatic stress symptoms, which provides a different focus from that of most of the existing 9/11 mental health literature."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Understanding the Psychosocial Impact of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks: a Qualitative Analysis of Focus Groups"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["North, Carol S."],"dc:creator":["Barney, Carissa Joy"],"dc:date":["2013-01-17T16:03:07Z","2013-01-17"],"dc:description":["Much of the 9/11 mental health research to date has been focused on PTSD and posttraumatic stress symptoms. To better understand the broader experience of individuals following a disaster, exploratory focus groups were conducted with individuals from directly-exposed agencies and not directly-exposed agencies and Spanish- and Mandarin-speaking individuals being served by not directly-exposed agencies. Twenty-one focus groups with a total of 140 participants were conducted one to two years after 9/11. Transcribed focus group passages were coded into themes using qualitative analysis software. The five areas of concern identified in this study include the following themes: Disaster Experience, Emotional Sequelae, Workplace Issues, Coping, and Issues of Public Concern. The theme with the highest absolute number of passages for individuals from directly-exposed agencies was Emotional Sequelae. Issues of Public Concern was the theme with the highest absolute number of passages for individuals from not directly-exposed agencies, a Spanish-speaking focus group, and a Mandarin-speaking focus group. Most importantly, qualitative analysis of the content of discussion provided significant information about what was of greatest concern among directly-exposed and not directly-exposed focus groups and Spanish- and Mandarin-speaking focus groups following the 9/11 attacks. The variety of concerns discussed by participants across all groups highlighted both the unexplored and underexplored areas that may warrant future investigation as potential opportunities for development of post-disaster intervention. These concerns are much broader than simply PTSD or posttraumatic stress symptoms, which provides a different focus from that of most of the existing 9/11 mental health literature."],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://hdl.handle.net/2152.5/1229","841763926"],"dc:language":["en"],"dc:subject":["September 11 Terrorist Attacks","Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic","Crisis Intervention"],"dc:title":["Understanding the Psychosocial Impact of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks: a Qualitative Analysis of Focus Groups"],"dc:type":["Thesis","Text"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:52:29Z"}