Media Coverage of Terrorist Events and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Pakistani Youth

Abstract

Media gives massive coverage to terrorist attacks in graphic detail which creates a sense of threat and fear in the general public particularly in the youth. These threats and fears can become serious psychological problems if not met with proper treatment. In this experimental study, 150 undergraduate students of three universities of Faisalabad; GC University Faisalabad, University of Agriculture, University of Faisalabad were chosen by cluster sampling technique to test posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the levels of depression after showing them intervention (video clip showing terrorist attack). Beck’s Inventory Depression (BID) and Self-rating Inventory Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (SIPTSD) were used to measure the levels of PTSD and depression in the students. The study found PTSD symptoms in the students even before the exposure to stress inducing intervention. When students were exposed to the videos of terrorist attacks an upsurge in the PTSD levels was observed. The increase in PSTD levels among the female students was much higher as compared to the male students. Moreover, the study found depression among female undergraduate students higher than male undergraduate students. However, no significant relationship between depression and exposure to terrorist events among the students was observed.