Programs about traumatic events may cause more shock than being there

Watching television about traumatic events, like the Boston Marathon bombing, for prolonged periods of time may be detrimental to your mental health, CBS News reports.

UC Irvine researchers found that people who watched six or more hours a day of media coverage of the Boston Marathon the week following the incident were more likely to have higher levels of acute stress than those who had been at or near the event.

Lead author Alison Holman, associate professor of nursing science at UC Irvine, said in a press release, "There is mounting evidence that live and video images of traumatic events can trigger flashbacks and encourage fear conditioning"

The researchers surveyed 4,675 adults two to four weeks after the Boston Marathon bombings, which left three people dead and more than 260 people injured. They were asked about how much acute stress they had experienced because of the bombings and how close they were to the actual bombings and how much media coverage they watched. 

Those who watched six or more hours a day of bombing-related media coverage were nine times more likely to report high acute stress than those with the lowest levels of media exposure, which was about one hour a day.

Experts have also noted that children may be more vulnerable to anxiety attacks right after watching traumatic coverage of events like the Boston Marathon. Such an event may also trigger post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is categorized by prolonged mental health issues at least 30 days after an event.

Another study found that coverage on national disasters like superstorm Sandy can also cause anxiety in young children.

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