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Neural vulnerability and hurricane-related media are associated with post-traumatic stress in youth.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Dick, AS; Silva, K; Gonzalez, R; Sutherland, MT; Laird, AR; Thompson, WK; Tapert, SF; Squeglia, LM; Gray, KM; Nixon, SJ; Cottler, LB ...
Published in: Nat Hum Behav
November 2021

The human toll of disasters extends beyond death, injury and loss. Post-traumatic stress (PTS) can be common among directly exposed individuals, and children are particularly vulnerable. Even children far removed from harm's way report PTS, and media-based exposure may partially account for this phenomenon. In this study, we examine this issue using data from nearly 400 9- to 11-year-old children collected before and after Hurricane Irma, evaluating whether pre-existing neural patterns moderate associations between hurricane experiences and later PTS. The 'dose' of both self-reported objective exposure and media exposure predicted PTS, the latter even among children far from the hurricane. Furthermore, neural responses in brain regions associated with anxiety and stress conferred particular vulnerability. For example, heightened amygdala reactivity to fearful stimuli moderated the association between self-reported media exposure and PTS. Collectively, these findings show that for some youth with measurable vulnerability, consuming extensive disaster-related media may offer an alternative pathway to disaster exposure that transcends geography and objective risk.

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Published In

Nat Hum Behav

DOI

EISSN

2397-3374

Publication Date

November 2021

Volume

5

Issue

11

Start / End Page

1578 / 1589

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
  • Risk Factors
  • Mass Media
  • Male
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Humans
  • Hippocampus
  • Gyrus Cinguli
  • Functional Neuroimaging
  • Florida
 

Citation

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Dick, A. S., Silva, K., Gonzalez, R., Sutherland, M. T., Laird, A. R., Thompson, W. K., … Comer, J. S. (2021). Neural vulnerability and hurricane-related media are associated with post-traumatic stress in youth. Nat Hum Behav, 5(11), 1578–1589. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01216-3
Dick, Anthony Steven, Karina Silva, Raul Gonzalez, Matthew T. Sutherland, Angela R. Laird, Wesley K. Thompson, Susan F. Tapert, et al. “Neural vulnerability and hurricane-related media are associated with post-traumatic stress in youth.Nat Hum Behav 5, no. 11 (November 2021): 1578–89. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01216-3.
Dick AS, Silva K, Gonzalez R, Sutherland MT, Laird AR, Thompson WK, et al. Neural vulnerability and hurricane-related media are associated with post-traumatic stress in youth. Nat Hum Behav. 2021 Nov;5(11):1578–89.
Dick, Anthony Steven, et al. “Neural vulnerability and hurricane-related media are associated with post-traumatic stress in youth.Nat Hum Behav, vol. 5, no. 11, Nov. 2021, pp. 1578–89. Pubmed, doi:10.1038/s41562-021-01216-3.
Dick AS, Silva K, Gonzalez R, Sutherland MT, Laird AR, Thompson WK, Tapert SF, Squeglia LM, Gray KM, Nixon SJ, Cottler LB, La Greca AM, Gurwitch RH, Comer JS. Neural vulnerability and hurricane-related media are associated with post-traumatic stress in youth. Nat Hum Behav. 2021 Nov;5(11):1578–1589.

Published In

Nat Hum Behav

DOI

EISSN

2397-3374

Publication Date

November 2021

Volume

5

Issue

11

Start / End Page

1578 / 1589

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
  • Risk Factors
  • Mass Media
  • Male
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Humans
  • Hippocampus
  • Gyrus Cinguli
  • Functional Neuroimaging
  • Florida