KM Viray
Online violence has been named as a cause for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
With the advent of technology and social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, media has taken advantage of this way to disseminate news and information. News from all over the world encompassing various issues and trending topics include violent and sensitive issues such as wars, cruelty to fellow man and animals, and torture.
The controversial suggestion was that watching gruesome videos and seeing images online at home could lead to the same types of symptoms most associated with combat veterans. In a study done by Dr. Pam Ramsden, a researcher at the University of Bradford, viewing violent news events via social media can cause trauma.
Dr. Ramsden explains: “The negative effects of exposure to other people’s suffering have long been recognized in roles such as professional healthcare workers. Various studies have documented the negative psychological reactions following indirect exposure to traumatised people called vicarious traumatisation. Social media has enabled violent stories and graphic images to be watched by the public in unedited horrific detail. Watching these events and feeling the anguish of those directly experiencing them may impact on our daily lives. In this study, we wanted to see if people would experience longer lasting effects such as stress and anxiety, and in some cases PTSD from viewing these images.”
About 189 participants around their late 30s with an almost equal number of males and females completed clinical assessments for PTSD, a personality questionnaire, a vicarious trauma assessment, and a questionnaire concerning different violent news events on social media or the internet. These included the 9/11 Twin Tower attacks, school shootings, and suicide bombings.
Analysis indicated that 22% of participants were significantly affected by the media events. These individuals scored high on clinical measures of PTSD even though none had previous trauma, were not present at the traumatic events and had only watched them via social media. Those who reported viewing the events more often were most affected.
PTSD has several classifications, depending on one’s exposure to violent situations. There are those who were in the actual situation (i.e., soldiers at war, victims in shooting, etc.), those who were in the situation as observers (i.e., reporters sent to war zones), and those who receive the news (i.e., home viewers, social media users, etc.). Major news organizations, including the BBC, regularly warn journalists about the effects of repeated viewing of violent or disturbing events and regularly flag potentially disturbing content online. These peoplem in turn, can ready themselves for the violence they may encounter.
It is different, however, for ordinary internet users who usually don’t have those same protections. Imagine scrolling and browsing through your newsfeed and the image of a bloody child suddenly appears. How could anyone prepare themselves for such a thing?
“On television or even on the radio, you get a warning: ‘The following story could be disturbing’. You don’t get that kind of warning on social media,” Ramsden says. “Now everything is on YouTube, and things that we don’t necessarily even pick up on are being viewed millions of times: car accidents, all kinds of disturbing things.”
According to Mike Wendling, who wrote an article on social media causing PTSD, one key risk factor which might trigger PTSD symptoms is repeated viewing–in other words, people who unwittingly stumble upon violent content are highly unlikely to develop long-term problems.
Nowadays, there are very good therapies to treat PTSD even long after the traumatic events have occurred. The bottom line, experts say, is that if you have or think you have PTSD symptoms, it’s important to seek help from your doctor. Some symptoms include re-experiencing the traumatic event, avoiding reminders of the trauma, and increased anxiety and emotional arousal.
Banner photo from salon.com.
