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Cited by 12Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ResearchTerrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political ViolenceChild Abuse and Trauma

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 43 of the 46 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Worst Life Events and Media Exposure to Terrorism in a Nationally Representative U.S. Sample

Thompson, Rebecca R., Holman, E. Alison, Silver, Roxane Cohen·2020·Journal of Traumatic Stress
DOI 10.1002/jts.22534
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Abstract

Indirectly experienced negative life events are not considered Criterion A traumatic events per DSM‐5 posttraumatic stress disorder diagnostic criteria, yet individuals indirectly exposed to trauma via the media may report these events as peak traumatic experiences. We studied which events people considered to be the “worst” in their lifetimes to gain a better understanding of the types of events individuals consider to be distressing. This longitudinal study included a nationally representative sample of U.S. residents living outside New York (N = 1,606) who were exposed to the September 11th, 2001 (9/11) terror attacks exclusively via the media. Bereavement was the most frequently cited “worst” life event (42.0%); violent events were cited by 11.4% of the sample. However, 22.0% of respondents reported 9/11 as their worst life event even though they did not directly experience the attacks. More lifetime exposure to violent events and bereavement, odds ratios (OR s) = 0.79 and 0.72, respectively, and a college education, OR = 0.61, were associated with decreased odds of naming 9/11 as one's worst life event. Watching 4 or more hours of 9/11‐related television coverage in the week after the attacks, OR = 1.67, and identifying as African American, OR = 2.01, were associated with increased odds of naming 9/11 as one's worst life event 1 year after the attacks. Events experienced indirectly through the media may be considered the worst of people's lives, with important implications for assessing stressful life event history and understanding indirect exposure to negative life events.

Overview

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1002/jts.22534

Cites

43 of 43 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Indirect exposure is associated with stress symptoms and other psychopathologies comparable to those linked to direct exposure.

    “Recent research provided extensive evidence that indirect exposure is associated with stress symptoms and other psychopathologies comparable to those linked to direct exposure [13,16,23-27].”

    From Impact of Media-Induced Uncertainty on Mental Health: Narrative-Based Perspective. (2025) · cites this paper as [23]

Citations

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

3 of the 46 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. 10.1037//0002-9432.72.4.476 · DOI
  2. Robins L., 1981, The NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule: Version III
  3. StataCorp, 2015, Stata statistical software: Release 14
  4. Tait R., 1989, Unintended thought, 351
  5. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001, National Center for Health Statistics: National Health Interview Survey Questionnaire 2000

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Metadata

Authors
Thompson, R. R., Holman, E. A., & Silver, R. C.
Affiliations
University of California, Irvine (US)
Corresponding author
Silver, Roxane Cohen
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Traumatic Stress
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2020-11-20
Volume
33
Issue
6
Pages
984-993
ISSN
  • 0894-9867 (ISSN-L)
  • 1573-6598
DOI
10.1002/jts.22534
OpenAlex
W3016311848
Cited by
12
References
46
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2020: 1
FWCI
0.40
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations
  • Journal of Traumatic Stress (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
Keywords
September 11 attacks, indirect trauma exposure, bereavement, violent incidents, post-traumatic stress disorder, television coverage, African American identity, university education, life events
MeSH terms
Adult, Female, Humans, Life Change Events, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Mass Media, Middle Aged, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Stress, Psychological, United States, Terrorism, September 11 Terrorist Attacks

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