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Friday July 30,2010

How the Community May Be Affected by Media Coverage of the Terrorist Attack

by National Center For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Since September 11, 2001, many people have been unable to resist the news coverage of the U.S. terrorist attack. As horrific as it is to watch on television and read about in newspapers and magazines, many still find it nearly impossible to turn away. It is difficult to know why the information is so hard to resist. Some say that people are hoping for information because they are fearful of a future attack and want to be prepared; others say that people are watching and reading in an effort to digest and process the event; still others say the media is intentionally creating seductive and addictive images almost like those seen in an action movie. Whatever the reason, it is important to understand the effects on the community that this type of exposure may have.

Research from the Oklahoma City Bombing

Until September 11^th, the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in 1995 was the most deadly terrorist act perpetrated on U.S. soil. One hundred sixty-eight people were killed, over 700 were injured, and more than 16,000 individuals in the downtown area were affected by the blast. In addition, approximately 12,000 people were involved in the rescue effort in a variety of different contexts. Because of the serious nature of this event, the media covered the bombing extensively.

Adults

In a study of 85 adults seeking mental-health services six months after the bombing, the number of hours of bomb-related television watched did not correlate with increased PTSD symptoms (Tucker, Pfefferbaum, Nixon, & Dickson, 2000).

Children

Two-thirds of a large group of Oklahoman school children in grades 6 through 12 reported that, in the seven weeks after the bombing, "most" or "all" of their television viewing was bomb related. Children in this group who watched bomb-related television reported more PTSD symptoms seven weeks after the bombing than children who did not watch as much bomb-related television. This was true for children who lost an immediate family member and for those who did not lose a close family member. However, children who were related to a deceased victim reported more difficulty calming down after watching bomb-related television than children who did not lose a close family member (Pfefferbaum, Moore, McDonald, Maynard, Gurwitch, & Nixon, 1999; Pfefferbaum, Nixon, Tucker, Tivis, Morre, Gurwitch, Pynoos, & Geis, 1999).