Measuring Caregiver Impact on Children’s Violent News Media Exposure: Development and Initial Validation of the Caregiver Responses to Youth Media Exposure (CRYME)

Research has shown that media exposure to violence is positively correlated with anxiety and posttraumatic stress symptoms in children (Becker-Blease et al. 2008), and parents can influence children’s responses to media (Otto et al. 2007). Few studies have examined specific parenting behaviors related to their children’s response to violent news media exposure; which is further limited by the lack of available measures with adequate psychometric support (Comer & Kendall, 2007). The current study addresses this gap by developing a measure of specific ways that caregivers may influence their children’s exposure and reaction to violent news. Item content was generated based on a literature review and focus group interview with six parents. Using a sample of 702 participants recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk, exploratory factor analysis was conducted on the initial 74-item measure of Caregiver Responses to Youth Media Exposure (CRYME). With a total of 35 items, a three-factor solution emerged

Maternal Responses to Children;s Exposure to Violent/Tragic News Media in a Sample of Multiply-Traumatized, African-American, Low-Income Youth

Given children’s ready access to media, particularly to sensationalized media reports of violent/tragic news (Pew Research Center, 2013), it is important to understand whether and how exposure to this news affects children’s psychological functioning. Studies in the general population have found that media exposure to violence correlates positively with anxiety and posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms in children (Becker-Blease, Finkelhor, & Turner, 2008). However, little is known about the impact such exposure may have on children who are vulnerable to myriad health and mental health problems as a consequence of multiple traumas (Fowler, Tompsett, Braceiszewski, Jaques-Tiura, & Baltes, 2009). Moreover, given evidence that parents may be able to influence children’s responses to media and, possibly, to soften the impact of exposure (Otto et al., 2007), it is important to delineate caregiver practices that may have a buffering effect, particularly for youths from vulnerable groups. In the present study I assessed, in an urban sample of 66 Black mothers and their children (ages 8-12), the relationship among caregiver practices regarding violent news media exposure (i.e., Reassuring Realistically, Controlling Contact, and Scaring for Safety), child anxiety, and frequency of violent news media exposure. Controlling Contact was a significant moderator of the relationship between frequency of violent news media exposure and child anxiety, such that higher amounts of control were associated with lower rates of anxiety. Also, results indicated that Reassuring Realistically and Scaring for Safety caregiver practices were not significantly associated with children’s anxiety. This study provides one step toward a better understanding of the roles that parenting practices regarding children’s violent news media exposure play in promoting child mental health in highly traumatized families