Traumatic stress symptoms after the November 13th 2015 Terrorist Attacks among Young Adults: The Relation to Media and Emotion Regulation

Abstract Objective A major terror attack occurred in the Paris region on 13th November 2015. This event was widely showed, described, and commented in the media. Media consumption may lead to a widespread diffusion of trauma-related symptoms following a collective trauma. These effects may depend on the type of media and emotion regulation strategies used by the media consumer. Method Trauma history, traumatic symptoms, media consumption, psychological distress, and emotion regulation strategies of 451 young adults were assessed by an online survey. Results Findings reveal the joint role of social networks use and dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies on anxiety, depression, and somatization symptoms and also on cognitive and emotional alteration among traumatic symptoms. Discussion Consistent with the emotional contagion hypothesis, individuals who reported spending more time on social networks were also those who were experiencing more psychological distress.