Are you an active social media user? Well, heads up. A new study says that spending your time watching those graphic, violent videos shared by friends and pages can lead to symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is one of the findings of Dr. Pam Ramsden, a chartered psychologist of the University of Bradford.
Contrary to what many people believe, PTSD can happen to anyone. Although they are usually associated with soldiers, those who are directly exposed to violence, death, war, and other disturbing events including those who are victims of any form of domestic abuse, as well as health workers and other professionals who tend to these victims, are also known to develop the condition.
However, Dr. Ramsden's research also pointed out that PTSD can also be diagnosed on bystanders who upload these graphic videos from their phones to their social media accounts, and those who have seen the video can develop the same response.
For her study, she chose around 189 male and female adults with an average age of 37. They answered a series of questionnaires that can measure their level of anxiety, stress, and fear, as well as other signs of PTSD, in relation to the images or videos that are now being shared in the news and in social media.
At least 22% measured highly in PTSD assessment even if they didn't go through any traumatic experience before or they were not physically present during these news events. They were also the ones who shared they were strongly affected by these situations.
Also, the level of stress and anxiety went up the longer the person was exposed to these types of violent news.
She explained that one of the reasons why this could happen is because these videos are often uploaded with no viewer discretion or warning. They are also usually not edited.
