Articles

Impact of 9/11-related chronic conditions and PTSD comorbidity on early retirement and job loss among World Trade Center disaster rescue and recovery workers

Yu, Shengchao; Brackbill, Robert M.; Locke, Sean; Stellman, Steven D.; Gargano, Lisa M.

Background:

The economic impact of the 9/11 terrorist attacks has rarely been studied. We examined the association between 9/11-related chronic health conditions with or without post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and one important aspect of the economic impact, retirement, and job loss before age 60.
Methods:

A total of 7,662 workers who participated in the World Trade Center Health Registry surveys were studied. Logistic regression models examined the association of 9/11-related health and labor force exit.
Results:

Workers with chronic conditions were more likely to experience early retirement and job loss, and the association was stronger in the presence of PTSD comorbidity: the odds ratios for reporting early retirement or job loss were increased considerably when chronic conditions were comorbid with PTSD.
Conclusions:

Disaster-related health burden directly impacts premature labor force exit and income. Future evaluation of disaster outcome should include its long-term impact on labor force.

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Also Published In

Title
American Journal of Industrial Medicine
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.22640

More About This Work

Academic Units
Epidemiology
Published Here
September 27, 2016