Media Consumption and Mass Violence–Related Distress in Communities Affected by Mass Violence

Is media consumption after a mass violence incident (MVI) associated with worry about future MVIs and mass violence–related avoidance behaviors?In a cross-sectional study of a household probability sample of 5584 adults surveyed from communities impacted by MVIs, 65.5% worried about MVIs and 28.5% avoided public places since the MVI. Greater media consumption was associated with greater odds of MVI-related worry and avoidance.These findings support the importance of media consumption in communities impacted by MVIs and capture functional impacts, highlighting a need for honing risk communication strategies surrounding public-facing MVI information dissemination.

Corresponding Author: Casie H. Morgan, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 67 President St, Charleston, SC 29425 (morgacas@musc.edu).

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