Citation

Schechter DS, Gross A, Willheim E, McCaw J, Turner JB, Myers MM, Zeanah CH, Gleason MM. J. Trauma. Stress 2009; 22(6): 658-662.

Affiliation

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Service, University of Geneva Hospitals, University of Geneva, Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland and Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, NY.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/jts.20472

PMID

19924819

PMCID

PMC2798921

Abstract

This study examined media viewing by mothers with violence-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related media exposure of their preschool-age children. Mothers (N = 67) recruited from community pediatric clinics participated in a protocol involving a media-preference survey. Severity of maternal PTSD and dissociation were significantly associated with child exposure to violent media. Family poverty and maternal viewing behavior were also associated. Maternal viewing behavior mediated the effects specifically of maternal PTSD severity on child exposure. Clinicians should assess maternal and child media viewing practices in families with histories of violent trauma exposure and related psychopathology.

Language: en