The effects of exposure to crisis on well-being of journalists: a study of crisis-related factors predicting psychological health in a sample of Finnish journalists

In: Media, war & conflict, Band 3, Heft 2, S. 138-151

Abstract

Effects of work-related and personal exposure to potentially traumatic events on PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder), depression, compassion fatigue and burnout were examined in 503 Finnish news journalists (238 men, 265 women) by using a web-based survey. Stepwise linear multiple regression analyses showed that two variables significantly predicted all four outcome factors, i.e. PTSD, depression, compassion fatigue and burnout: the variables were personal exposure to traumatic events, including reactions caused by the event and the magnitude of the worst crisis-related assignment experienced as a journalist.An interaction effect was also found: respondents with high scores on both traumatic experiences in their personal life and a high amount of professional crisis-related assignments had a significantly higher level of PTSD symptoms than others.