Caregiver-Reports of Internet Exposure and Posttraumatic Stress Among Boston-Area Youth Following the 2013 Marathon Bombing

Abstract

Although practitioners and researchers have considered children’s television-based terrorism exposure, Internet-based exposure has not been sufficiently examined. We examined the scope and correlates of children’s Internet-based exposure following the Boston Marathon bombing among Boston-area youth (N=460; 4–19 years), and the potential moderating role of age. Further exploratory analyses examined patterns of caregiver attempts to regulate child Internet exposure. Caregivers reported on child Internet-based and direct exposure to traumatic bombing-related events, and youth posttraumatic stress (PTS). Online youth consumed on average over two daily hours of Internet coverage, and roughly one-third consumed over three daily hours of coverage. Internet exposure was particularly high among children over 12. Greater Internet-based exposure was associated with PTS, and 12–15 year olds were particularly vulnerable. Further exploratory analyses found that although most caregivers reported believing media exposure can cause children further trauma, a considerable proportion of caregivers made no attempt to restrict or regulate their child’s Internet-based exposure. These findings help practitioners clarify forms of indirect exposure that can place youth at risk following terrorism. Future work is needed to examine the important roles caregivers play as media regulators and as promoters of child coping and media literacy following terrorism.

The Pandemic's Toll on Young Adolescents: Prevention and Intervention Targets to Preserve Their Mental Health

“…Screen time variables were important predictors of anxiety and depression: greater consumption of pandemic-related news predicting anxiety, supporting ample evidence linking disaster-related media exposure, and negative outcomes in youth [ 41 ]. Connecting digitally with friends and screen time use (e.g., social media use), predicted anxiety and depression, similar to findings of others [ 4 ], although digital connections have also been associated with reduced loneliness [ 14 ].…”

Neural vulnerability and hurricane-related media predict posttraumatic stress in youth

“…With prior research showing that objective disaster exposure and threat is not always necessary to prompt PTS responses [5][6][7][8][18][19][20] , we broadened our analysis to examine media-based effects. Indeed, in the lead-up to Irma's arrival in Florida, national news coverage was saturated with sensationalized, around-the-clock forecasting, and children were watching.…”

Measuring caregiver impact on children’s violent news media exposure: Development and initial validation of the Caregiver Responses to Youth Media Exposure (CRYME).

“…After 9/11, as many as two thirds of parents reported that they did not attempt to limit their children's media exposure to the terrorist attacks (Lengua et al, 2005;Schuster et al, 2001), though the extent to which this approach was deliberate is unclear. After the Boston Marathon bombing, as many as one third of caregivers made no attempt to restrict Internet exposure and the majority did not restrict TV viewing; and caregiver restrictions were not consistently related to youth media consumption (Comer et al, 2014(Comer et al, , 2016.…”

“…With advances in technology (e.g., mobile devices) and the rise of social media, news consumption has increased (Pew Research Center, 2013). Studies have documented that shortly after high-profile events, youth are exposed to at least two hours, on average, of news media daily (Comer, DeSerisy, & Greif Green, 2016). Caregivers’ influence on their children’s responses to this exposure is not yet fully understood due to a lack of validated measures of caregiver behavior in this context.…”

“…In youth, the frequency and/or duration of exposure to media coverage of natural disasters, kidnappings, shootings, terrorism, and other violent news has been positively associated with anxiety, posttraumatic stress symptoms, behavioral withdrawal, and depression (e.g., Becker-Blease, Finkelhor, & Turner, 2008; Comer et al, 2014, 2016; Pfefferbaum et al, 2003; Phillips, Prince, & Schiebelhut, 2004; Ortiz, Silverman, Jaccard, & La Greca, 2011; Saylor, Cowart, Lipovsky, Jackson, & Finch, 2003) that can persist into young adulthood (Harrison & Cantor, 1999). For example, 47% of youth who viewed media coverage of the 9/11 attacks exhibited associated worry and 35% experienced posttraumatic stress symptoms (Schuster et al, 2001), which were unrelated to physical distance from the attacks (Lengua, Long, Smith, & Meltzoff, 2005).…”