Trauma and psychological distress observed in journalists: A comparison of Israeli journalists and their Western counterparts

Background: There is limited evidence on how reporting war influences journalists' psychological wellbeing. A significant minority of journalists may develop symptoms of emotional distress; however it is unclear whether the type and amount of distress differs between those journalists who report from potentially dangerous areas within their own country compared to those who do so from war zones in other countries. Method: We compared indices of psychological health in 38 Israeli journalists with 38 Western journalists whose careers have been defined by work in war zones. Results: While both groups reported high levels of exposure to traumatic events, there were no significant differences in frequency or type of exposure between the groups. Western journalists reported more frequent posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), intrusion-type symptoms and drank more alcohol while Israeli journalists reported higher levels of depression, anxiety and somatic distress. Conclusion: This pattern of results suggests that social circumstances and environmental factors may influence how different groups of individuals respond to traumatic events.