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

Bibliographic Data

ID11038556
AuthorsMartin Schiff (0000-0002-0534-7383, 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.), Miriam Schiff, Hillah Haim Zweig (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.), Rami Benbenishty (0000-0003-4041-9650, 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.), Deborah S Hasin (0000-0002-6533-7021, 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.)
Year2007
Volume97
Issue10
Pages1852-1858
Publication date2007-10-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.2006.090514
PMID17761574
PMCIDPMC1994181
OpenAlexW1970284400
LanguageEN
Citations received16
References cited62

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

Binge drinking · Cannabis · Developmental psychology · Environmental health · Generalizability theory · Injury prevention · Occupational safety and health · Poison control · Psychiatry · Substance abuse · Suicide prevention · Terrorism · Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research · Clinical Psychology · Human Factors and Ergonomics · Medicine · Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research · Psychology · Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes

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