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Exposure to Terrorist Attacks Increases Mental Health Problems in Children |
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From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: A new report published in Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice reveals that children exposed to terrorist attacks show elevated symptoms of mental health problems, including post traumatic stress disorder, separation anxiety disorder, and general anxiety disorder. Statistically speaking, it is unlikely that the majority of youth will ever experience direct exposure to a terrorist attack. Following a terrorist attack, however, youth are exposed to a substantial amount of attack-related media coverage. Within this present climate of heightened awareness about terrorism, many children are exposed to what the authors termed "second-hand terrorism," in which media disproportionately focus on the possibility of being a direct victim of future terrorism. Technological advances provide a stage from which terrorist acts can reach a truly vast audience, and news networks further afford unprecedented coverage of terrorism on a global scale. "Researching youth in the aftermath of terrorist attacks, as well as youth exposed to media presentations about terrorism, is critical to inform service delivery and public policy, and to ensure that the mental health needs of youth are afforded ample resources," the authors note.
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