ERIC Number: EJ1092085
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Apr
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1053-1890
EISSN: N/A
Media Managing Mood: A Look at the Possible Effects of Violent Media on Affect
Merritt, Alexandra; LaQuea, Rachel; Cromwell, Rachel; Ferguson, Christopher J.
Child & Youth Care Forum, v45 n2 p241-258 Apr 2016
Background: The potential impact of violent media on children's emotional well-being has been a source of controversy for several decades. To date evidence for a negative impact of violent media on emotional well-being has been mixed and increasingly connected to a "replication crisis" throughout psychological science. Objective: The current study examines concurrent and prospective relationships between violent media use and symptoms of depression and anxiety in a sample of 536 mostly Hispanic youth (309 males, age range 10-14). Methods: Youth and parents were surveyed regarding social environment, media use and mental health. 302 youth responded to a 1-year follow-up. Results: Results indicated that neither violent television use nor violent video game use predicted anxiety or depression concurrently or depression prospectively with this sample. Conclusions: The impact of media violence use on child mood symptoms appears to be minimal. Further research may wish to focus on particular at-risk groups.
Descriptors: Violence, Mass Media Effects, Well Being, Emotional Experience, Depression (Psychology), Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Hispanic Americans, Social Environment, Mental Health, Mass Media Use, Followup Studies, Anxiety, Predictive Validity, Affective Behavior
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A