Media Exposure to September 11

Abstract

This study examined symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in children indirectly exposed to September 11 via television, the Internet, and printed media. Approximately 1 month after the attacks, 179 students in Grades K-5 at four Southeastern elementary schools and their parents were surveyed about their experiences and reactions. The Pediatric Emotional Distress Scale (PEDS), the Parent Report of Post-Traumatic Symptoms (PROPS), and the Children's Report of Post-Traumatic Symptoms (CROPS) were used to assess for PTSD symptoms. More PTSD symptoms were reported in children who saw reports on the Internet (vs. television/printed media), saw images of death or injury, or feared that a loved one might have died in the attacks. There was no measurable benefit to seeing heroic or “positive” images. Older children and boys had greater media exposure and more trauma-specific PTSD symptoms. Implications for those striving to deliver appropriate amounts and types of information to children and families following disasters are discussed.

Fears of American Children Following Terrorism

“…Differences in gender are often found in trauma-related research (Pine & Cohen, 2002;Vogel & Vernberg, 1993). Thus, consistent with other studies (Pfefferbaum et al, 1999;Saylor et al, 2003), girls were more fearful than boys in the pre-9=11 and post-9=11 comparisons. Nonetheless, this study did not clearly distinguish why girls endorsed more fears than boys (e.g., literal fear, more honest than boys, endorsed expected stereotypical responses; Ginsburg & Silverman, 2000;Gullone, 2000;Gullone & King, 1993).…”

“…In a study conducted by Schuster et al (2001), stress among Americans after 9=11 was related to television exposure, and trauma-related symptoms lasted up to 2 years. Television exposure has been shown to contribute to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in postdisaster situations (Gurwitch, Sitterle, Young, & Pfefferbaum, 2002;Pfefferbaum et al, 1999;Saylor et al, 2003). Given the current findings related to media exposure, some researchers contend that distant trauma and its potential relationship to postdisaster functioning must be considered as well (Costello, Erkanli, Keeler, & Angold, 2004;Gurwitch et al, 2002;Lutz et al, 2007;Schlenger et al, 2002;Schuster et al, 2001).…”

Media use by children and adolescents from New York City 6 months after the WTC attack

“…However, media coverage of terrorist attacks in general, and 9/11 in particular, is and was often extensive, not restricted to the immediately subsequent days, but continues for months, and counting documentaries, even for years (Project for Excellence in Journalism, 2002). Third, prior studies were conducted among either highly directly exposed persons (Fairbrother et al, 2003;Pfefferbaum et al, 2001), or alternatively, among persons who were many miles away from the event Saylor, Cowart, Lipovsky, Jackson, & Finch, Jr., 2003). Few studies have examined media use of children living in the vicinity compared to those who were exposed only through the media.…”

Clinicians and Journalists Responding to Disasters

“…Our knowledge base about news consumption is primarily based on research correlating respondents' self-reports of news consumption with self-reports of symptoms after a major mass disaster (e.g., Nader et al 1993;Pfefferbaum et al 1999;Terr et al 1999;Pfefferbaum et al 2000Pfefferbaum et al , 2002Fairbrother et al 2003;Pfefferbaum et al 2003;Saylor et al 2003;Aber et al 2004;Phillips et al 2004;Cardena et al 2005;Otto et al 2007;Braun-Lewensohn et al 2009;Haravuori et al 2011). In general, the amount of self-reported…”