Content area
Full Text
This study examined symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in children indirectly exposed to September 11 via television, the Internet, and printed media. Approximately 1 month after the attacks, 179 students in Grades K-5 at four Southeastern elementary schools and their parents were surveyed about their experiences and reactions. The Pediatric Emotional Distress Scale (PEDS), the Parent Report of Post-Traumatic Symptoms (PROPS), and the Children's Report of Post-Traumatic Symptoms (CROPS) were used to assess for PTSD symptoms. More PTSD symptoms were reported in children who saw reports on the Internet (vs. television/printed media), saw images of death or injury, or feared that a loved one might have died in the attacks. There was no measurable benefit to seeing heroic or "positive" images. Older children and boys had greater media exposure and more trauma-specific PTSD symptoms. Implications for those striving to deliver appropriate amounts and types of information to children and families following disasters are discussed.
Keywords: media exposure to disaster; children and disaster; September 11
The events of September 11, 2001, similar to other disasters but on a much larger scale, left many with feelings of acute psychological distress, vulnerability, and insecurity in their environments. These events also provided an unprecedented opportunity and mandate to examine the impact of media exposure to disaster on children. By its very definition, a disaster is a public event, and it is the media that bring disaster news and information to the concerned public. In the psychological literature, disaster is defined as an event that has an
identifiable beginning and end, adversely affects a relatively large group of people, is public and shared by members of more than one family, is out of the realm of ordinary experience, and psychologically is traumatic enough to induce distress in almost anyone regardless of pre-morbid function or earlier experiences. (Saylor, 1993, p. 2)
The events of September 11 qualify as a disaster of catastrophic proportion. Among the hundreds of thousands or even millions of psychological casualties may have been people whose sole exposure to the events was through the media.
Disasters vary widely in nature and scope. The impacts of exposure to natural disasters (e.g., hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes), technology-related disasters (plane crashes, ferry sinking, nuclear plant leaks), and manmade violence...