ArticleThe American journal of psychiatry2002
A hazardous profession: war, journalists, and psychopathology.
Article in The American journal of psychiatry, 2002. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 44 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
44 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 268 citations in OpenAlex.
- Occupational Risk for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Trauma-Related Depression: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Pooled it
- Social dysfunction in Ecuadorian, Peruvian, and Venezuelan media workers.PLOS mental health · 2026Article
- Impact of Adverse Pregnancy History and Demographics on Antenatal Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Study of 897 Women.International journal of women's health · 2026Article
- Trauma behind the algorithm: a phenomenological analysis of violent content data work.AI and ethics · 2026Article
- Geographical differences in the stress and distress of climate change journalists: An observational study.JRSM open · 2025Article
- The mental burden of stay-at-home order extensions during COVID-19.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Current Situation and Mental Health of Pregnant Women During the Prevention and Control of Novel Coronavirus Infection: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Investigation of Influencing Factors.International journal of women's health · 2024Article
- Anniversary reactions among journalists covering terror: stress reactions and well-being 10 years after the terror in Norway.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2023Article
- Associations among traumatic experiences, threat exposure, and mental health in Pakistani journalists.Journal of traumatic stress · 2022Article
- Alcohol Addiction in War Veterans Treated in a In-patient Psychiatric Facility: Incidence, Comorbidity with PTSD Symptoms, Association with Combat Stressors.Consortium psychiatricum · 2022Article
- Media perception and trust among disaster survivors: Tsunami survivors' interaction with journalists, media exposure, and associations with trust in media and authorities.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
- Factors Influencing Post-traumatic Stress Symptoms in Chinese Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- Ecuadorian Journalists Mental Health Influence on Changing Job Desire: A Cross Sectional Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms among Journalists Repeatedly Covering COVID-19 News.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Associations between oxytocin and vasopressin concentrations, traumatic event exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: group comparisons, correlations, and courses during an internet-based cognitive-behavioural treatment.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2021Article
- Post-traumatic stress, personal risk and post-traumatic growth among UK journalists.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2021Article
- Psychological Effects of People Isolated in Hubei Due to COVID-19 Epidemic.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Article
- The Psychological Status of General Population in Hubei Province During the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study.Frontiers in public health · 2021Article
- Mental health of healthcare professionals during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia.BJPsych open · 2020Article
- Psychological status and fatigue of frontline staff two months after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in China: A cross-sectional study.Journal of affective disorders · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveWar journalists often confront situations of extreme danger in their work. Despite this, information on their psychological well-being is lacking.
methodThe authors used self-report questionnaires to assess 140 war journalists, who recorded symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (with the Impact of Event Scale-Revised), depression (with the Beck Depression Inventory-II), and psychological distress (with the 28-item General Health Questionnaire). To control for stresses generic to all journalism, the authors used the same instruments to assess 107 journalists who had never covered war. A second phase of the study involved interviews with one in five journalists from both groups, using the Structured Clinical Interview for Axis I DSM-IV Disorders.
resultsThe rates of response to the self-report questionnaires were approximately 80% for both groups. There were no demographic differences between groups. Both male and female war journalists had significantly higher weekly alcohol consumption. The war journalists had higher scores on the Impact of Event Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory. Their lifetime prevalence of PTSD was 28.6%, and the rates were 21.4% for major depression and 14.3% for substance abuse. War journalists were not, however, more likely to receive treatment for these disorders.
conclusionsWar journalists have significantly more psychiatric difficulties than journalists who do not report on war. In particular, the lifetime prevalence of PTSD is similar to rates reported for combat veterans, while the rate of major depression exceeds that of the general population. These results, which need replicating, should alert news organizations that significant psychological distress may occur in many war journalists and often goes untreated.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.