A recent study led by Stony Brook Medicine has analyzed the long-term effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in nearly 13,000 World Trade Center (WTC) responders over a period from July 2002 to December 2022. The research, published in Nature Mental Health, indicates that PTSD symptoms can change over time and may predict physical impairment and mental health issues years after the trauma.
The study involved more than 81,000 clinical observations from 12,822 responders and was conducted through the Stony Brook WTC Health and Wellness Program. Researchers found that while symptoms were stable in the short term, they changed significantly over two decades. Symptoms peaked more than a decade after exposure but declined modestly afterward.
Frank Mann, PhD, Lead Author and Senior Research Scientist at the Renaissance School of Medicine (RSOM), stated: “Our findings highlight the enduring and long-term impact of PTSD among WTC responders, even with the substantial individual variability in PTSD symptom trajectories within the large sample.”
The median time for improvement in confirmed PTSD cases was between eight to ten years. However, about 10 percent of participants reported elevated symptoms two decades post-trauma. These changes were linked to higher functional impairments and increased mental health care utilization.
Benjamin Luft, MD, Director of the Stony Brook WTC Health and Wellness Program and co-author of the study noted: “We believe that these findings...are an important roadmap to the ongoing nature of PTSD in our WTC responders.” He also highlighted that non-professional responders faced a greater risk for chronic PTSD compared to professional first responders.
Drs. Mann and Luft emphasized several key takeaways: symptom changes occur slowly but do happen; continual patient monitoring is crucial as single-time screenings might miss late-emerging or relapsing cases; continuous care is necessary due to high rates of accompanying physical and mental impairments in severe PTSD cases.
All participants are part of the Long Island WTC Health and Wellness Program funded by NIOSH. They receive annual monitoring for WTC-related disorders including PTSD.