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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms among Journalists Repeatedly Covering COVID-19 News

Author

Listed:
  • Gabriella Tyson

    (Oxford Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 1TW, UK)

  • Jennifer Wild

    (Oxford Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 1TW, UK)

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in many journalists repeatedly covering stories related to human suffering. This study investigates whether these journalists experienced higher rates of psychological distress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms than those who have been working during the pandemic yet covering stories other than COVID-19 and aims to identify what factors may protect journalists from developing trauma-related symptoms. We assessed journalists ( n = 120) working during the COVID-19 pandemic using self-report measures. Journalists repeatedly covering COVID-19 stories had significantly higher psychological distress (η 2 = 0.04) and PTSD symptoms (η 2 = 0.08), but not depression, compared to journalists who did not report on COVID-19. Rumination and numbing in response to unwanted memories predicted PTSD symptoms (R 2 = 0.53) and may be risk factors for PTSD in this population. Unhelpful resilience appraisals distinguished journalists who reported on COVID-19 and who developed distressing re-experiencing symptoms from those who similarly reported on distressing material and who did not develop symptoms. Targeting resilience appraisals may be helpful in reducing re-experiencing symptoms after trauma exposure.

Suggested Citation

  • Gabriella Tyson & Jennifer Wild, 2021. "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms among Journalists Repeatedly Covering COVID-19 News," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-8, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:16:p:8536-:d:613250
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Andrea R Ashbaugh & Stephanie Houle-Johnson & Christophe Herbert & Wissam El-Hage & Alain Brunet, 2016. "Psychometric Validation of the English and French Versions of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(10), pages 1-16, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Roel Van Overmeire, 2021. "Comment on Tyson, G.; Wild, J. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms among Journalists Repeatedly Covering COVID-19 News. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18 , 8536," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-4, October.
    2. Gabriella Tyson & Jennifer Wild, 2021. "Reply to Van Overmeire, R. Comment on “Tyson, G.; Wild, J. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms among Journalists Repeatedly Covering COVID-19 News. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18 , 8," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-4, October.
    3. Mollie A. Monnig & Samantha E. Clark & Jaqueline C. Avila & Alexander W. Sokolovsky & Hayley Treloar Padovano & Kimberly Goodyear & Elizabeth R. Aston & Carolina L. Haass-Koffler & Jennifer W. Tidey &, 2023. "COVID-19-Related Stressors and Clinical Mental Health Symptoms in a Northeast US Sample," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-14, January.
    4. Alex Ricardo Martínez Pajuelo & José Eduardo Irrazabal Ramos & Maria Lazo-Porras, 2022. "Anxiety, Depression, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptomatology According to Gender in Health-Care Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Peru Shortened Title: “Psychological Impact of ," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-13, September.

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