Prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder and major depression in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia 9 months after the East Palestine train derailment.
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| Title: | Prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder and major depression in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia 9 months after the East Palestine train derailment. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Pugach, Cameron P. (AUTHOR), Reuben, Aaron (AUTHOR), Moreland, Angela D. (AUTHOR), Rothbaum, Alex O. (AUTHOR), Boyle, John (AUTHOR), Schmidt, Michael G. (AUTHOR), Dayton, James (AUTHOR), Kinder, Rachel (AUTHOR), Galea, Sandro (AUTHOR), Abdalla, Salma (AUTHOR), Abba‐Aji, Mohammed (AUTHOR), Kilpatrick, Dean G. (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal of Traumatic Stress. Dec2025, Vol. 38 Issue 6, p1032-1044. 13p. |
| Subjects: | Post-traumatic stress disorder, Mental depression, Chemical spills, Mental health, Norfolk Southern Corp. |
| Geographic Terms: | West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio |
| Abstract: | On February 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, releasing toxic compounds into the surrounding air, water, and soil. Technological chemical disasters represent potentially traumatic events capable of influencing mental disorders, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression (MD). This study reports the first comprehensive investigation of the prevalence and correlates of mental disorders among potentially exposed residents of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia 9 months postderailment. In this cross‐sectional study, a nonprobability sample of 1,000 adults living within 65 miles of the derailment site completed a self‐administered clinical survey interview assessing PTSD and MD, physical health symptoms, negative derailment‐related beliefs and experiences, and preexisting psychiatric risk factors. Analyses were demographically weighted to yield estimates representative of the 65 mile–radius population. Most respondents were concerned about potential toxic exposure (73.9%) and associated health problems (92.1%), and half did not fully trust the information public health officials provided about the event (52.1%); half (49.7%) also reported at least one new or worsening physical health symptom since the derailment. Presumptive PTSD (15.4%) and MD (13.3%) were prevalent 9 months postderailment. Closer proximity to the derailment site was associated with greater endorsement of health concerns and symptoms, ds = 0.21–0.22, but not with greater mental disorder, OR = 1.02. Chemical disasters could have psychological consequences even without documented exposures, potentially due to uncertainty regarding exposure and associated health effects. The East Palestine community may benefit from increased attention to mental health services as a component of disaster response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal of Traumatic Stress is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: pbh DbLabel: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection An: 190305649 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder and major depression in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia 9 months after the East Palestine train derailment. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Pugach%2C+Cameron+P%2E%22">Pugach, Cameron P.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Reuben%2C+Aaron%22">Reuben, Aaron</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Moreland%2C+Angela+D%2E%22">Moreland, Angela D.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rothbaum%2C+Alex+O%2E%22">Rothbaum, Alex O.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Boyle%2C+John%22">Boyle, John</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Schmidt%2C+Michael+G%2E%22">Schmidt, Michael G.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Dayton%2C+James%22">Dayton, James</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kinder%2C+Rachel%22">Kinder, Rachel</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Galea%2C+Sandro%22">Galea, Sandro</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Abdalla%2C+Salma%22">Abdalla, Salma</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Abba‐Aji%2C+Mohammed%22">Abba‐Aji, Mohammed</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kilpatrick%2C+Dean+G%2E%22">Kilpatrick, Dean G.</searchLink> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Traumatic+Stress%22">Journal of Traumatic Stress</searchLink>. Dec2025, Vol. 38 Issue 6, p1032-1044. 13p. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Post-traumatic+stress+disorder%22">Post-traumatic stress disorder</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mental+depression%22">Mental depression</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Chemical+spills%22">Chemical spills</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mental+health%22">Mental health</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Norfolk+Southern+Corp%2E%22">Norfolk Southern Corp.</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22West+Virginia%22">West Virginia</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Pennsylvania%22">Pennsylvania</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ohio%22">Ohio</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: On February 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, releasing toxic compounds into the surrounding air, water, and soil. Technological chemical disasters represent potentially traumatic events capable of influencing mental disorders, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression (MD). This study reports the first comprehensive investigation of the prevalence and correlates of mental disorders among potentially exposed residents of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia 9 months postderailment. In this cross‐sectional study, a nonprobability sample of 1,000 adults living within 65 miles of the derailment site completed a self‐administered clinical survey interview assessing PTSD and MD, physical health symptoms, negative derailment‐related beliefs and experiences, and preexisting psychiatric risk factors. Analyses were demographically weighted to yield estimates representative of the 65 mile–radius population. Most respondents were concerned about potential toxic exposure (73.9%) and associated health problems (92.1%), and half did not fully trust the information public health officials provided about the event (52.1%); half (49.7%) also reported at least one new or worsening physical health symptom since the derailment. Presumptive PTSD (15.4%) and MD (13.3%) were prevalent 9 months postderailment. Closer proximity to the derailment site was associated with greater endorsement of health concerns and symptoms, ds = 0.21–0.22, but not with greater mental disorder, OR = 1.02. Chemical disasters could have psychological consequences even without documented exposures, potentially due to uncertainty regarding exposure and associated health effects. The East Palestine community may benefit from increased attention to mental health services as a component of disaster response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Traumatic Stress is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1002/jts.70003 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 13 StartPage: 1032 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Post-traumatic stress disorder Type: general – SubjectFull: Mental depression Type: general – SubjectFull: Chemical spills Type: general – SubjectFull: Mental health Type: general – SubjectFull: Norfolk Southern Corp. Type: general – SubjectFull: West Virginia Type: general – SubjectFull: Pennsylvania Type: general – SubjectFull: Ohio Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder and major depression in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia 9 months after the East Palestine train derailment. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Pugach, Cameron P. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Reuben, Aaron – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Moreland, Angela D. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Rothbaum, Alex O. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Boyle, John – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Schmidt, Michael G. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Dayton, James – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Kinder, Rachel – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Galea, Sandro – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Abdalla, Salma – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Abba‐Aji, Mohammed – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Kilpatrick, Dean G. IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 12 Text: Dec2025 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 08949867 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 38 – Type: issue Value: 6 Titles: – TitleFull: Journal of Traumatic Stress Type: main |
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