Based on the following scenario, analyze the potential mental health impacts on the city's residents. In your response, compare and contrast the likely psychological outcomes for individuals who were in the immediate vicinity of the event versus those who only witnessed the event through extensive media coverage.

Analyzing Community-Wide Psychological Responses

Following a major public tragedy, such as a large-scale attack, mental health professionals often observe a rise in stress-related symptoms not only in those directly involved but also in the wider public who followed the event through media. Compare and contrast the likely psychological stress responses of an individual who was a direct witness to the event with someone who experienced it solely through repeated, graphic media coverage. In your answer, analyze the factors that might contribute to the development, severity, and nature of their respective stress-related symptoms.

Psychological Impact of Direct vs. Indirect Trauma Exposure

After 9/11, there was an increase of stress-related symptoms and diagnosable conditions in the time shortly following the attack. This led some researchers to wonder if traumatic evets could have large-scale mental health impacts.

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In recent years, access to media content has dramatically increased. Although this makes information more accessible, some studies indicate that exposure to traumatic images can lead to stress-related symptoms.

Media Exposure and Stress

Holman, E. Alison, Garfin, Dana Rose, Lubens, Pauline, Silver, Roxane Cohen. (2019). Media Exposure to Collective Trauma, Mental Health, and Functioning: Does It Matter What You See? Clinical Psychological Science, 8(1), 111-124. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F2167702619858300

Media Exposure to Collective Trauma, Mental Health, and Functioning: Does It Matter What You See?

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

Terrorism and Societal Trauma

To test if this phenomenon existed in other situations, researchers created an online survey sent to a few thousand participants after the Boston Marathon Bombings. Participants estimated the amount of time they spent watching content related to the attack, gave self-reported mental health scores, and answered if their daily life was impaired in anyway.

Further Investigation into Psychological Effect of Mass Media

Researchers found no direct correlation between media trauma and functional impairment, but they found that excessive exposure to traumatic content increased the likelihood of developing stress-related disorders. However, the effect may vary based on the exact content shown and the length of time spent viewing it.

Correlation Between Media Trauma and Impairment

There have been many studies of social media and the effects of prolonged use, but results have been varied. To help make conclusions, a meta-analysis was conducted to put all this information together.

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