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

Abstract

Children are exposed to many forms of media. In a recent study by the Pew Research Center (2013), 43% of people polled indicated that using mobile devices (e.g., tablets; cell phones) has increased the amount of news that they consume. Childhood media exposure in general can influence mental health (Brown & Bobowski, 2011). A child's exposure to violent news, in particular, has been positively associated with worry about similar events happening to him/her or to a relative (Becker-Blease, Finkelhor, & Turner, 2008). A national survey of people not directly exposed to the September 11 terrorist attacks showed that 35% of children exhibited symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following media exposure (Schuster et al., 2001). Parents may attempt to minimize their children's negative emotional responses to media by limiting exposure (Strasburger et al., 2010). However, restricting access to media is not always a successful strategy for reducing anxiety in children (Buijzen, van der Molen, & Sondij, 2007). Additionally, completely limiting a child's exposure to media is not feasible. For instance, Sumiala and Tikka (2011) found that children were able to access videos of school shootings on YouTube while at school. Thus, it is important to investigate additional ways to influence a child's emotional response to violent media. Given that violent news media exposure has been positively correlated with emotional and behavioral difficulties (e.g., anxiety symptoms) in children and that caregivers likely play a role in their children's responses to media (e.g., Becker-Blease, Finkelhor, & Turner, 2008; Buijzen, van der Molen, & Sondij, 2007), research is needed to identify optimal ways for caregivers to buffer the effects of violent news media on their children's mental health. The ideal strategies for caregivers to use may also differ by child age and gender. However, there currently Please circle never, rarely, sometimes, often, or almost always for each of the following questions. All of the questions refer specifically to violent/tragic news in the media (terrorist attacks, school shootings, bombings, natural disasters, hurricanes, floods, fires, etc.). With regard to what your child sees on TV, the internet (news sites, social media, etc.), or in print media (magazines, newspapers, etc.), how often do you… Never Rarely Sometimes Often Almost Always *theme from literature # theme from focus group *# theme overlaps literature and focus group *#TAILORING RESPONSE TO CHILD'S NEEDS: help your child better understand the media, talk to your child in a developmentally appropriate way, make the discussion specific to your child's fears/concerns/needs.