Aim or purpose
Media coverage of mass traumatic events (for example, natural disasters, terrorist attacks etc.) is today frequent in both traditional and new-age media. Media exposure is however left out of the diagnostic criteria of secondary trauma in the DSM V. This study examined secondary traumatisation in a sample of Turkish adults, with the aim of showing how traumatic events witnessed via the media can equally lead to significant post-traumatic stress to those directly witnessed.
Design and methodology
Turkish participants (N=122) were asked to complete a demographic questionnaire containing their trauma histories, the PTSD Checklist-5 (PCL-5), and the Impact of Events Scale Revised (IES-R) for each of the traumatic events they were directly and indirectly exposed to. Participants were provided with Information Sheet and Consent Form; Study followed BPS Code of Conduct provided by University of Bolton鈥檚 Ethical committee approval.
Results and findings
Overall, post-traumatic stress levels were higher than the PTSD symptom threshold, as expected with this sample. Participants rated traumatic events they were exposed to through the media as significantly higher in symptom severity than those they were directly exposed to, on all three PTSD subscales (re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal). The only variable acting as a significant predictor for PCL-5 scores was perceived intrusions symptom severity in media trauma. Multiple media exposure (more than one separate event), employment status, gender, socio-economic level, or education did not yield any predictive relationship with post-traumatic stress symptom severity.
Conclusions and implications
This study contributes to emerging literature supporting the inclusion of media exposure as a diagnostic criterion for future versions of the DSM by offering further evidence that traumatic events witnessed via the media induce post-traumatic stress symptoms.
Views expressed in this article are the views of the writer and not necessarily the views of 网爆门. Publication does not imply endorsement of the writer鈥檚 views. Reasonable care has been taken to avoid errors but no liability will be accepted for any errors that may occur.