The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.
Persistent news coverage of school shootings can take a significant toll on teenagers’ mental health, according to a new study co-authored by a University of Massachusetts Amherst media violence researcher. The study, published in the Journal of Children and Media, also reveals that cognitive coping strategies may inadvertently exacerbate stress rather than alleviate it.
The research examined the May 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, as a case study, surveying 942 U.S. adolescents aged 13 to 17 to analyze the relationship between general news exposure and mental health, finding that adolescents who consumed more news reported higher rates of depression.
Erica Scharrer, professor of communication at UMass Amherst, Nicole Martins of Indiana University Bloomington and Karyn Riddle of the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that ongoing exposure to coverage of the Uvalde shooting, in which 19 children and two teachers were killed, was strongly associated with post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, such as heightened anxiety, fear and trouble concentrating.
Contrary to expectations, the study shows that cognitive coping strategies—such as reassuring oneself of personal safety—exacerbated PTSD symptoms.
“We were so sad to learn this. It went exactly against what we had hypothesized,” Scharrer says. “We found the more that the young people in our sample engaged with those cognitive coping techniques, the more likely they were to have a PTSD-related response to hearing about the Robb Elementary School shooting.”
She says the findings signal that traditional coping strategies may reflect or intensify existing distress rather than mitigate it.
Using qualitative responses, the research also exposes specific aspects of the Uvalde shooting coverage that teenagers found most disturbing.
Many respondents cited the young age of the victims as particularly upsetting. Others noted that the possibility of a similar tragedy occurring in their own schools produced heightened anxiety. Participants also expressed fear and anger regarding the delayed intervention by law enforcement personnel.
The researchers call for a reevaluation of how school shootings are covered in the media, noting that sensationalized reporting and graphic imagery may amplify distress among young viewers. They urge news outlets to prioritize responsible, fact-based reporting to avoid exacerbating trauma.
Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-case-uvalde-school-links-persistent.html
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