1
|
Relihan DP, Jones NM, Holman EA, Silver RC. Shared social identity and media transmission of trauma. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11609. [PMID: 37463937 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-33898-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
When an individual or group trauma becomes a shared public experience through widespread media coverage (e.g., mass violence, being publicly outed), sharing a social identity with a targeted individual or group of victims may amplify feelings of personal vulnerability. This heightened perceived threat may draw people to engage with trauma-related media because of increased vigilance for self-relevant threats, which can, in turn, amplify distress. We studied this possibility among two U.S. national samples following the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, FL (N = 4675) and the 2018 Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court Senate hearings (N = 4894). Participants who shared LGBT or Hispanic identities with Pulse massacre victims reported greater exposure to massacre-related media and acute stress. Participants who shared Dr. Blasey Ford's identities as a victim of interpersonal violence and a Democrat reported more hearings-related media exposure and acute stress. Indirect effects of shared single identity on acute stress through self-reported event-related media exposure emerged in both studies. Results for sharing dual identities with victims were mixed. These findings have implications for media use and public health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel P Relihan
- Department of Psychological Science, 4201 Social and Behavioral Sciences Gateway, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697-7085, USA
| | - Nickolas M Jones
- Department of Psychological Science, 4201 Social and Behavioral Sciences Gateway, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697-7085, USA
| | - E Alison Holman
- Department of Psychological Science, 4201 Social and Behavioral Sciences Gateway, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697-7085, USA
- Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing, Room 4517, Nursing and Health Sciences Hall, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Roxane Cohen Silver
- Department of Psychological Science, 4201 Social and Behavioral Sciences Gateway, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697-7085, USA.
- Department of Medicine and Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
First JM, Shin H, Figueroa-Caballero A, Okker-Edging K, Spialek ML, Houston JB. Posttraumatic Stress Related to Orlando Nightclub Shooting: LGBTQ Identity and Media Use. JOURNAL OF LOSS & TRAUMA 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/15325024.2022.2116823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M. First
- College of Social Work, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Haejung Shin
- Department of Communication, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, Missouri, USA
| | | | - Katherine Okker-Edging
- Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - J. Brian Houston
- Department of Communication, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| |
Collapse
|