Measuring media exposure to acute mass violence.

Erika D. Felix; Haley M. Meskunas; Natalia Jaramillo; Matthew Quirk

doi:10.1037/tra0000514

Measuring media exposure to acute mass violence.

Psychological Trauma Theory Research Practice and Policy ◽

10.1037/tra0000514 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 397-404

Author(s):

Erika D. Felix ◽

Haley M. Meskunas ◽

Natalia Jaramillo ◽

Matthew Quirk

Keyword(s):

Media Exposure ◽

Mass Violence

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Media Exposure to Acute Mass Violence Scale

PsycTESTS Dataset ◽

10.1037/t80465-000 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Erika D. Felix ◽

Haley M. Meskunas ◽

Natalia Jaramillo ◽

Matthew Quirk

Keyword(s):

Media Exposure ◽

Mass Violence

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Media exposure to mass violence events can fuel a cycle of distress

Science Advances ◽

10.1126/sciadv.aav3502 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. eaav3502 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Rebecca R. Thompson ◽

Nickolas M. Jones ◽

E. Alison Holman ◽

Roxane Cohen Silver

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

Acute Stress ◽

Media Exposure ◽

Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms ◽

Media Consumption ◽

Negative Events ◽

Mass Violence ◽

Stress Symptoms ◽

High Distress ◽

Boston Marathon

The established link between trauma-related media exposure and distress may be cyclical: Distress can increase subsequent trauma-related media consumption that promotes increased distress to later events. We tested this hypothesis in a 3-year longitudinal study following the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and the 2016 Orlando Pulse nightclub massacre using a national U.S. sample (N= 4165). Data were collected shortly after the bombings, 6 and 24 months post-bombings, and beginning 5 days after the Pulse nightclub massacre (approximately 1 year later; 36 months post-bombings). Bombing-related media exposure predicted posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS) 6 months later; PTS predicted worry about future negative events 2 years after the bombings, which predicted increased media consumption and acute stress following the Pulse nightclub massacre 1 year later. Trauma-related media exposure perpetuates a cycle of high distress and media use.

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