Exploring the impact of media use on wellbeing following a natural disaster
Media use can be beneficial in many ways, but little is known about how it might improve wellbeing outcomes following a traumatic natural disaster. Survivors (n = 491) of deadly Hurricane Michael, which struck the Florida (USA) coastline in 2018, completed an online survey, reporting indicators of p...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Communication |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2022.967383/full |
| _version_ | 1818017527570104320 |
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| author | Arthur A. Raney Amy L. Ai Mary Beth Oliver |
| author_facet | Arthur A. Raney Amy L. Ai Mary Beth Oliver |
| author_sort | Arthur A. Raney |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Media use can be beneficial in many ways, but little is known about how it might improve wellbeing outcomes following a traumatic natural disaster. Survivors (n = 491) of deadly Hurricane Michael, which struck the Florida (USA) coastline in 2018, completed an online survey, reporting indicators of post-traumatic growth (PTG) and stress (PTSS). A serial mediation model explored how hurricane-related stressors were related to both outcomes, as mediated by approach, avoidant, and support-seeking coping strategies and post-hurricane hedonic, eudaimonic, and self-transcendent media use as coping tools. Factors contributing to each type of post-hurricane media use were also explored. Results indicate that hurricane-related stressors were associated with PTG, serially mediated through approach coping strategies and self-transcendent media use, thus providing some of the first empirical evidence of the longer-term, beneficial wellbeing effects of media use on survivors of trauma. Additionally, hurricane-related stressors were associated with avoidant coping strategies, which were associated with increased eudaimonic media use. However, hedonic and eudaimonic media use were not associated with PTSS or PTG. Finally, factors known to be associated with media use were not predictive of post-hurricane media use, perhaps suggesting that media play a different role in survivors' lives in the months following a traumatic event. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T07:28:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-552e776f017c46b1bd35c54bb1c4e75f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2297-900X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T07:28:09Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Communication |
| spelling | doaj.art-552e776f017c46b1bd35c54bb1c4e75f2022-12-22T02:05:56ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Communication2297-900X2022-09-01710.3389/fcomm.2022.967383967383Exploring the impact of media use on wellbeing following a natural disasterArthur A. Raney0Amy L. Ai1Mary Beth Oliver2School of Communication, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United StatesCollege of Social Work, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United StatesDonald P. Bellisario College of Communications, The Pennsylvania State University (PSU), University Park, State College, PA, United StatesMedia use can be beneficial in many ways, but little is known about how it might improve wellbeing outcomes following a traumatic natural disaster. Survivors (n = 491) of deadly Hurricane Michael, which struck the Florida (USA) coastline in 2018, completed an online survey, reporting indicators of post-traumatic growth (PTG) and stress (PTSS). A serial mediation model explored how hurricane-related stressors were related to both outcomes, as mediated by approach, avoidant, and support-seeking coping strategies and post-hurricane hedonic, eudaimonic, and self-transcendent media use as coping tools. Factors contributing to each type of post-hurricane media use were also explored. Results indicate that hurricane-related stressors were associated with PTG, serially mediated through approach coping strategies and self-transcendent media use, thus providing some of the first empirical evidence of the longer-term, beneficial wellbeing effects of media use on survivors of trauma. Additionally, hurricane-related stressors were associated with avoidant coping strategies, which were associated with increased eudaimonic media use. However, hedonic and eudaimonic media use were not associated with PTSS or PTG. Finally, factors known to be associated with media use were not predictive of post-hurricane media use, perhaps suggesting that media play a different role in survivors' lives in the months following a traumatic event.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2022.967383/fullPTGPTSS/PTSDself-transcendent mediaeudaimonic mediahedonic medianatural disaster |
| spellingShingle | Arthur A. Raney Amy L. Ai Mary Beth Oliver Exploring the impact of media use on wellbeing following a natural disaster Frontiers in Communication PTG PTSS/PTSD self-transcendent media eudaimonic media hedonic media natural disaster |
| title | Exploring the impact of media use on wellbeing following a natural disaster |
| title_full | Exploring the impact of media use on wellbeing following a natural disaster |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the impact of media use on wellbeing following a natural disaster |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the impact of media use on wellbeing following a natural disaster |
| title_short | Exploring the impact of media use on wellbeing following a natural disaster |
| title_sort | exploring the impact of media use on wellbeing following a natural disaster |
| topic | PTG PTSS/PTSD self-transcendent media eudaimonic media hedonic media natural disaster |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2022.967383/full |
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