This article is from the public number:RUC News Square (ID: rendaxinwenxi), title map from: Visual China

Reporters often need to rush to the scene at the first time of the incident, and often face danger, violence, and death. How will this affect their psychology? reporterIn the article “How Journalists’ Work Affects Their Mental Health: A Review of Relevant Studies,” Chloe Reichel summarizes and elaborates on some of the five years of research on journalist occupational stress and mental health, or can provide answers to the above questions.

This article is published on the Journalist’s resource project website, which is run by the Shorenstein Center, a media, political, and public policy center at Harvard University’s Kennedy School. It is aimed at journalists and introduces recent academic research in a common language. .

1

Accepting the Storm: The professional pressure of journalists reporting Hurricane Harvey(Weathering The Storm: Occupational Stress in Journalists Who Covered Hurricane Harvey)

Author:. Dworznik-Hoak, Gretchen (US) Kent State University Journalism Studies, June 2019

The researchers surveyed and interviewed 30 people who reported Hurricane Harvey (Hurricane Harvey, a four-level storm that swept the US state of Texas in August 2017) /span> journalist, surveyTargets include journalists, editors, photographers, news anchors, and meteorologists who are still working in the front line when the hurricane hits Texas. In an interview about two months after the end of the hurricane, the respondents were asked to recall their experiences reporting the hurricane, and the researchers analyzed the parts of their responses that were related to stressors and emotional responses. In addition, the respondents completed a questionnaire to test post-traumatic stress disorder (hereinafter referred to as PTSD) and depressive symptoms.

Key findings:

1, 20% of respondents have reached the threshold of PTSD, and 90% of people have different degrees of PTSD symptoms due to Hurricane Harvey. 40% of respondents have reached the threshold of depression, and 93% have different degrees of depressive symptoms.

2, PTSD and depression are directly related to hurricanes, and their symptoms include memory disturbances, nightmares and difficulty falling asleep. Some interviewees reported that mental illness has disrupted their normal life.

3. The ongoing reports during the hurricane were the main source of stress for respondents. Specifically, unpredictable schedules, long working hours and endless amounts of work have increased the pressure on journalists.

4. A reporter said that tasks scheduled to be repeated will also create pressure. For example, his editorial department repeatedly reported the story of the disaster-stricken personnel cleaning up their residence. “I can understand that this story is reported all night. But we stayed there for several nights, always reporting similar news. I think there should be other things. More worthy of our report.”

5. Respondents will also feel pressure because of their important role in the disaster. One reporter said: “For most breaking news, people are only curious about the incident; but when a regional disaster occurs When we report a living life, news reports are likely to save someone’s life.”

6. Lack of relevant experience in hurricane reporting, insufficient guidance from superiors, inadequate preparation in advance, etc. will also cause psychological pressure on respondents.

7. When reporting disaster victims, journalists will feel pressure because they will be infected by the emotions of the victims.

8. For reporters who reported disasters in their hometowns, they have more pressure. They themselves have to go through disasters, such as the lack of water and electricity in their homes, and to find shelters with friends.

9. The most common personal feelings of respondents in the report are: crying, unbearableNegative, frustrated and guilty.

Researchers suggest that journalists reporting natural disasters should be able to enjoy ongoing work intervals and be assigned to cover different topics, while the superiors should set clear goals for the report and do a good job of division. These strategies can alleviate the psychological pressure of journalists.

2

Journalist and Mental Health: Reporting psychological damage caused by traumatic events(Witnessing Images of Extreme Violence: A Psychological Study of Journalists)

Author: Seely, Natalee, (US) Ball State University, Newspaper Research Journal , May 2019

This study conducted a questionnaire survey of 254 daily reporters in the United States and conducted in-depth interviews with 24 journalists across 16 continents. The survey included respondents reporting the frequency and intensity of traumatic events, job satisfaction and personal injury experiences.

Key findings:

1, the researchers found that as reporters reported an increase in the frequency and intensity of traumatic events, the severity of PTSD symptoms increased.

2, respondents will have emotional exhaustion, painful recurrence, anxiety, depression, guilt and other symptoms, they will slow down the symptoms by crying and relying on other substances, such as some people will drink alcohol.

The researchers believe that these findings suggest that reporter’s self-care and positive health responses are important, as well as the editorial strategy (such as providing professional training related to crisis reporting and encouraging journalists to understand mental healthKnowledge, etc.) is also important to improve the psychological status of journalists.

3

Image of extreme violence: psychological research on journalists in the news editorial department(Witnessing Images Of Extreme Violence: A Psychological Study of Journalists)

Author: Feinstein, Anthony et al., (Plus) the University of Toronto, Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Open, 2014 Nian 7 Yue

User-generated content (UGC) provides a window for people to learn about breaking news events, such as videos and photos from public mobile phones These may be the reporters who could not see the scene in person. News organizations need to review this content to determine if it is newsworthy, which means that journalists need frequent exposure to these disturbing images.

This study was conducted by the University of Toronto (Anthony Feinstein) and his team completed, researching 116 journalists involved in three international media, measuring the frequency of UGC content production for the mental health and alcohol consumption of these editorial employees influences.

Key findings:

1. Journalists who regularly contact UGC alone score higher in PTSD, depression, and stress level assessments.

2, continuous contact time with UGCLonger reporters (in hours per shift) tend to get higher in a project in the PTSD evaluation criteria fraction.

3, nearly one-fifth of respondents (including 15.4% of male respondents and 17.4% of female respondents) Excessive drinking means that they drink more than 14 units per week (1 alcohol unit is equivalent to about 10ml or 8g pure alcohol). The reporter’s alcohol consumption is related to their PTSD, symptoms of depression, and the frequency of exposure to UGC.

The researchers concluded that the frequency of exposure to UGC, rather than the duration, will bring more emotional distress to journalists, that is, the number of shifts in contact with UGC will be more emotional than the shift duration. influences. Researchers suggest that news organizations can reduce the frequency of journalists’ exposure to UGC to reduce their risk of mental harm.

4

Image of extreme violence: psychological research on journalists in the news editorial department(The Psychological Effects of Reporting Extreme Violence: A Study of Kenyan Journalists)

OF: Feinstein, Anthony, etc., Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Open, 2015 years. 9 dated < /p>

This study was conducted in collaboration with a neuropsychologist, a journalist, and a journalism professor. The researchers surveyed 57 journalists from two national news agencies in Kenya.

The survey includes the positions they faceIndustry pressure, and whether it has participated in two recent traumatic incidents in the country, namely the ethnic violence before and after the 2007 general election and the 2013 Sham class=”text-remarks” label=”Remarks”> in Ximen, Nairobi (Westgate Mall) Large-scale shooting incident (also known as the Kenya shopping mall attack). In addition to the survey, journalists also received assessments of overall health, depression, and PTSD.

Key findings:

1, 2/3 of the reporters said that they had been bribed, and the same proportion of reporters said they were asked to give up a report.

2. Nearly 20% of the journalists interviewed were injured at work, and more than half of them were injured in the violence related to the election.

3. Reporters who reported electoral violence showed more PTSD symptoms than journalists who did not report such incidents. They were also more likely to receive psychological counseling than their peers. However, journalists who participated in the report on the Ximen Mall attack did not differ significantly in their psychological representation from their colleagues.

The researchers believe that the distance from danger may be a key factor in different psychological reactions, which is reflected in the reports of two groups of journalists reporting election violence and Ximen Mall attacks. The author explained that the reporters who reported the Ximen shopping mall attack were protected by the isolation barrier set up by the military and the police, and the election violence was “directly experienced”. “The neighbors attacked each other, the community was destroyed, and the media sometimes became a mob. The focus of anger. “After seven years of the 2007 election violence, journalists still showed symptoms of PTSD and anxiety, which highlighted the traumatic nature of the violence.

5

Iranian journalist’s mental health: a descriptive study (The Psychological Wellbeing of Iranian Journalists: A Descriptive Study)

OF: Feinstein, Anthony, etc., Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Open, 2016 years 12 is dated < /p>

This study conducted a questionnaire survey of 114 journalists working in Iran or Iranian journalists working abroad. Reporters who participated in the survey indicated that they had been subjected to occupational pressures for different reasons, such as being arrested, tortured and intimidated.

Key findings:

1, half of the respondents said they had been intimidated, and 78.1% of them stopped the report. 43.1% of respondents said their family members were threatened. 41.2% of the respondents were arrested, nearly one-fifth of the respondents were tortured and 1/10 were attacked.

2. Arrest, torture and intimidation are associated with symptoms of PTSD, and attacks and intimidation are associated with symptoms of depression.

3. About one-third of the reporters who participated in the survey had severe depression.

4. Nearly half of the respondents had not received psychotherapy. Of the respondents who received treatment, 60% said that their experience as a journalist led to their mental illness.

5, nearly one-third of respondents have self-adjusted to cope with stress at work, and 30.6% said they often take barbiturates (Sedatives for the treatment of insomnia and sputum, have anti-anxiety effects, are also used to treat PTSD and depression).

6

Reporter’s job requirements, response and occupational stress: System Overview (Job Demands , Coping, and Impacts of Occupational Stress among Journalists: A Systematic Review)

Author: Monteiro, Susana et al., (Portugal) University of Lisbon, European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 2016 Nian 9 Yue

Even if the tragedy is not reported, the daily work in the news editorial department will put pressure on the reporter. The researchers summarized 28 papers published between 2002 and 2015, summarizing the stimuli encountered by journalists at work and their impact on physical and mental health.

Compression comes from:

1. Requirements for professional roles, such as vague expectations, uncertainty about roles, and excessive expectations.

2, requirements for interpersonal relationships, such as colleagues’ relationships, competition, and ethics in reporting.

3. Requirements of the external environment, such as the pressure caused by working in a crowded editing room without natural light.

4, working conditions, such as low pay, long hours of work, late night delivery deadlines.

5. Stress associated with specific tasks, such as interviewing emotional sources, time-critical pressures, violence and intimidation, and traumatic events.

6, because of the discomfort of the bone muscles caused by work or the pain of the relevant parts.

7. Health threats due to unstable income, long hours of work, and neglect of symptoms of the disease.

8, exhaustion, depression, anxiety, PTSD, alcoholism and job-hopping.

9. According to the author’s integrated analysis of 13 research results (meta-analysis), contact with traumatic events at work to complain about PTSD Symptoms have a mild to moderate effect.

Conclusion

When journalists work and report traumatic events, they are subject to varying degrees of stress and may affect physical and mental health and even post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Whether it isThe journalists themselves, the media, the government, and the public, should give more care to the industry, care for the “sounders” of society, and guard the “guardians” of society.


This article is from the public number:RUC News Square(ID:rendaxinwenxi)