Violence in media creates symptoms of PTSD despite no real-life exposure to trauma - study

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Study author Dr. Pam Ramsden, of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Bradford in the UK, and colleagues recently presented their findings at the Annual Conference of the British Psychology Society.

Past studies have found health care workers who help victims of traumatic events or situations may experience "vicarious traumatisation," in which they become psychologically and emotionally affected by victims' suffering.

But for their study, Dr. Ramsden and colleagues wanted to see whether exposure to violent and traumatic events via social media would have a similar effect.

"Social media has enabled violent stories and graphic images to be watched by the public in unedited horrific detail," says Dr. Ramsden. "Watching these events and feeling the anguish of those directly experiencing them may impact on our daily lives."

"In this study we wanted to see if people would experience longer lasting effects such as stress and anxiety, and in some cases post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSDs) from viewing these images."

22% of participants affected by videos, images of violent news events

The team enrolled 189 men and women with an average age of 37. The participants were exposed to a number of videos and images of violent news events - including suicide bombings, school shootings and the 9/11 terror attack - via social media or the Internet.

After viewing these videos and images, the participants were asked to complete a vicarious trauma assessment and questionnaire and a personality questionnaire, as well as undergo a clinical assessment for PTSD.

The researchers found that 22% of the participants scored highly on clinical assessments of PTSD, despite only being exposed to videos and images of the traumatic events, not the events themselves.

The more often the participants viewed media of the traumatic events, the more affected they were, the team found.

In addition, the researchers found that participants who were more extrovert were more likely to be affected by the videos and images of violent events.

Dr. Ramsden says the team's findings are "worrying," adding:

"With increased access to social media and the internet via tablets and smartphones, we need to ensure that people are aware of the risks of viewing these images and that appropriate support is available for those who need it."

In January, Medical News Today reported on a study conducted by the Pew Research Center's Internet Project, which suggests that social media use does not increase stress levels.
In fact, the researchers found that some use of social media may actually reduce stress levels, particularly for women.