Media Exposure to Terrorism and Post-Traumatic Stress in Adolescents: Role of Gender and Geographic Location

Abstract

The terrorist attack on the Army Public School (APS) Peshawar on December 16, 2014, received extensive coverage on both electronic and social media, raising concerns about its psychological impact on adolescents. Based on the sample of 716 adolescents (aged 12 to 17 years), this study aims to investigate the relationship between Media Exposure to Terrorism (METT) and adolescents’ mental health keeping in view the role of gender and geographic location. METT has been assessed using an indigenously developed METT scale, while adolescents' mental health has been evaluated with the Child Revised Impact Event Scale, which measures intrusion and avoidance symptoms. Results indicate that METT is positively related to intrusion symptoms but has shown a non-significant relationship with avoidance symptoms. Gender significantly moderates the relationship between METT and intrusion symptoms, where female adolescents exhibit a stronger association between media exposure and intrusion symptoms as compared to male counterparts. Furthermore, in the case of regional proximity to the attack site, adolescents from Punjab have exhibited the highest intrusion symptoms as a result of METT whereas Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the region closest to the attack, exhibited low intrusion symptoms. These findings suggest that increased distance from the epicentre of the attack has a significant relationship with intrusion symptoms, emphasizing the role of situational factors in adolescents' psychological responses to METT. This study highlights the need for region and gender-specific interventions to mitigate the mental health impact of terrorism-related media exposure on adolescents.