Media Exposure Predicts Children's Reactions to Crime and Terrorism

ABSTRACT

In this study we examined reactions to 3 news events (September 11 terrorist attacks, Summer 2002 kidnappings, and Fall 2002 sniper shootings) in a national, representative sample of children aged 2 to 17. Media exposure was related to increased worry and changes in activities, with September 11 creating the most concern and shootings the least. More signs of stress were apparent among 10- to 13-year-olds, minority children and those of low socioeconomic status, children with prior adversities, and children who lived in close geographical proximity. Girls aged 10 to 17 had more reaction to the kidnappings, suggesting that other features of target similarity may heighten a sense of risk. The results support moderating exposure for both younger and older youth.

KEYWORDS:

• Victimization
• mass media
• terrorist attacks
• fear of crime
• developmental differences

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Richard Ormrod for help with data management; John Boyle and Patricia Vanderwolf for help with data collection; and members of the Family Violence Research Seminar, the Dynamics Lab at the University of Oregon, and Anne DePrince for helpful comments on the manuscript.

For the purposes of compliance with Section 507 of Public Law 104-208 (the Stevens Amendment), the authors advise the readers that 100% of the funds for this program were derived from federal sources. (This project was supported by Grants 1999-JP-FX-1101 and 2002-JW-BX-0002 awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.) The total amount of federal funding involved was $584,549. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.