Reply to Long-Term Effects of the Terrorist Attack in Beslan on Adolescent Survivors

Letter to the Editor

Sir: Van der Velden and Yzermans have raised several issuesregarding the long-term psychological effects of the 2004 terroristattack in Beslan on directly and indirectly exposed adolescentsurvivors. They express concern that the absence of anonexposed control group and preattack data on participants’ psychological functioning hinders any conclusion about thecourse or development of general psychological problems inthis population.

Previous research has shown that adolescents who have hadhigh levels of exposure to terrorism in terms of physical, temporal,and emotional proximity (e.g., loss of loved ones) are at increasedrisk of developing adverse reactions to trauma and thatyouths who are indirectly exposed to a violent event may alsomanifest symptoms of anxiety and depression.