Not Just for the Military: A Study of PTSD and Student Journalists on the Trauma Beat

Abstract

This study examines student journalists from Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois who reported on each school's mass shooting during the time of the trauma. The researcher attempts to identify whether these student journalists exhibited signs and symptoms of Posttraumatic stress disorder, and if so how were such symptoms combated. To identify PTSD characteristics of avoidance, hyperarousal and intrusion I used the Impact of Event Scale-Revised coupled with participant in-depth interviews. Results indicated that several participants demonstrated symptoms congruent of PTSD such as: anxiety, feelings characteristic of depression, a heightened auditory response and withdrawal from friends and family. Recognizing how to routinize the news, and leaning on peers were key elements in these student journalists learning how to cope with their trauma exposure.