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Cited by 513Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ResearchCOVID-19 and Mental HealthTerrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

Media’s role in broadcasting acute stress following the Boston Marathon bombings

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Holman, E. Alison, Garfin, Dana Rose, Silver, Roxane Cohen·2014·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
DOI 10.1073/pnas.1316265110PMC PMC3890785
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Abstract

Significance: Media coverage of collective traumas may trigger psychological distress in individuals outside the directly affected community. We examined whether repeated media exposure to the Boston Marathon bombings was associated with acute stress and compared the impact of direct exposure (being at/near the bombings) vs. media exposure (bombing-related television, radio, print, online, and social media coverage) on acute stress. We conducted an Internet-based survey 2–4 wk postbombings with a nationally representative sample and representative subsamples from Boston and New York (4,675 adults). Repeated bombing-related media exposure was associated with higher acute stress than was direct exposure. Media coverage following collective traumas can diffuse acute stress widely. This unique study compares the impact of direct vs. indirect media-based community trauma exposure on acute stress responses.

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Crossref · 10.1073/pnas.1316265110

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  • Studies looking at media viewing of real trauma have shown that repeated and enduring viewing of scenes in media footage, for example of the Boston Marathon bombings, is associated with acute stress symptoms.

    “Relatedly, studies looking at media viewing of real trauma have shown that repeated and enduring viewing of scenes in media footage, for example of the Boston Marathon bombings, is associated with acute stress symptoms (Holman, Garfin, & Silver, 2014).”

    From Intrusive memories of trauma: A target for research bridging cognitive science and its clinical application (2019) · cites this paper as Holman, Garfin, & Silver, 2014

  • A large body of previous research has established an association between media exposure and symptoms of posttraumatic stress related to various life-threatening stressors.

    “A large body of previous research has convincingly established the association between media exposure and symptoms of posttraumatic stress related to various life-threatening stressors, such as war conflicts [9,10], terrorism and other acts of mass violence [11-15], natural disasters [16,17], and recently also the COVID-19 pandemic”

    From Impact of Media-Induced Uncertainty on Mental Health: Narrative-Based Perspective. (2025) · cites this paper as [13]

  • 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 [13]

  • Even ≥1 hour of daily television watching might have some negative consequences.

    “Even ≥1 hours of daily television watching might have some negative consequences [10,13,167].”

    From Impact of Media-Induced Uncertainty on Mental Health: Narrative-Based Perspective. (2025) · cites this paper as [13]

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Authors
Holman, E. A., Garfin, D. R., & Silver, R. C.
Affiliations
  • University of California, Irvine (US)
  • Departments of bPsychology and Social Behavior and
ORCID
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences
Published
2013-12-09
Volume
111
Issue
1
Pages
93-98
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
DOI
10.1073/pnas.1316265110
PMC
PMC3890785
OpenAlex
W2061777840
Cited by
513
References
41
Citations by year
2026: 57 · 2025: 42 · 2024: 42 · 2023: 40 · 2022: 58 · 2021: 82 · 2020: 47 · 2019: 39 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 27 · 2015: 18 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 1
FWCI
21.14
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
other-oa
Locations
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
Keywords
Boston Marathon bombing, acute stress, media exposure, collective trauma, media influence, post-traumatic stress, September 11 attacks, Superstorm Sandy, television viewing
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Boston, Female, Health Status, Health Surveys, Humans, Male, Mass Media, Middle Aged, Surveys and Questionnaires, Radio, Stress, Psychological, Television, Internet, Terrorism, Bombs, Young Adult, Social Media

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