Media exposure and prolonged grief: A study of bereaved parents and siblings after the 2011 Utøya Island terror attack.

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  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Educational Pub. Foundation of the American Psychological Association Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101495376 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1942-969X (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 1942969X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Psychol Trauma Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Original Publication: Washington, DC : Educational Pub. Foundation of the American Psychological Association
    • Subject Terms:
      Grief* ; Mass Media*; Depressive Disorder/*psychology ; Parents/*psychology ; Siblings/*psychology ; Terrorism/*psychology; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Norway ; Young Adult
    • Abstract:
      Background: After terror attacks, the media coverage can be a potential secondary stressor for bereaved families. In the present study, we aimed to examine the level of prolonged grief (PG), and to explore the association between media exposure and PG in parents and siblings of individuals who were killed in a terror attack.
      Method: Parents and siblings (n = 103) from 42 different families bereaved by the 2011 Utøya Island mass shooting participated in a survey 18 months after the attack. The survey measured the amount of media exposure experienced by the bereaved during the first month after the attack. PG was self-reported using the Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG). Data was analyzed with multilevel methods with mixed effects models.
      Results: Of the total sample of participants, 78.6% (n = 81/103) had sum scores higher than the designated cutoff >25 on ICG, indicating a probable prolonged grief disorder (PGD). Multilevel analysis showed significantly higher level of PG among those who reported high exposure to the media coverage (>4 hours daily) the first month after the attack, among females, and among those who were in contact with their son/daughter/brother/sister by telephone during the attack.
      Limitations: With the cross-sectional design, caution should be taken about making interpretations about causal effects.
      Conclusion: Media exposure may trigger or maintain prolonged grief reactions. (PsycINFO Database Record
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    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20160329 Date Completed: 20171013 Latest Revision: 20180724
    • Publication Date:
      20231215
    • Accession Number:
      10.1037/tra0000131
    • Accession Number:
      27018922