Babies inherit 9/11 mums' stress

[emad]

BBC

Pregnant women who witnessed the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11 passed on biological signs of stress to their babies, researchers suggest.

Scientists from Edinburgh and New York say tests on infants when they were a year old showed they had low levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Their mothers also showed low cortisol levels, a sign someone is affected by PTSD the researchers say.

The study is in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4508879.stm

[emad]

1. Anxieties rampant among kids after 9/11

Anxieties rampant among kids after 9/11

Published May 3, 2005


NEW YORK -- Six months after the Sept. 11 attacks, more than a quarter of New York City's public school children had at least one anxiety disorder, with almost 15 percent suffering from agoraphobia--a fear of being in public spaces where escape is difficult.

About 12 percent suffered from separation anxiety--fear of being away from one's parents and family--and a little more than 10 percent suffered post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a Columbia University study of a representative sample of children in grades 4 through 12.

The study of 8,236 children found that 28.6 percent had an anxiety disorder six months after the attacks. Final findings are being published for the first time in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0505030148may03,1,4673702.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true

[Athame]

2. So imagine the cortisol levels of mothers and babies in Iraq

I'm glad this study was undertaken. And I feel deeply for the children. I just want to nudge us a tiny bit away from our US-centeredness.

[bpilgrim]

3. excellent point, i can't even imagine =(

http://images.globalfreepress.com

peace

[FreedomAngel82]

4. If you have the Sundance Channel

you should watch the documentary "Life After War." It shows the after effects of 9/11 and also of the war in Afghanstain. There's one scene in Afghainstain where they're at a school house and a teacher is there who's also a psychologist who is working with the children. He walks by these three little girls from 4-8 I'd say and the littlest of them all just shudders and shrinks down when he walked by casually to see what they were doing on their work. It's so sad. :cry: George Bush and his evil bastard croonies ruined soul's because they were greedy. Damnit.

[HuckleB]

5. Humans are so very fragile, and still so very resilient.

I'm very glad to know that this research is being done, as it helps increase our understanding of the environment on genetics.

[boochicken]

6. thank to the chimp

for forever scarring these children. he's one sick mother*ucker that only cares about himself. bastard.

[realFedUp]

7. Frankly my cat developed stress

has some weird stress rash now...too
many Bush years.