Abstract

FLORES MORALES, Rogelio; REYES PEREZ, Verónica  and  REIDL MARTINEZ, Lucy María. POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS SYMPTOMS IN MEXICAN JOURNALISTS COVERING THE DRUG WAR. Suma Psicol. [online]. 2012, vol.19, n.1, pp.7-17. ISSN 0121-4381.

The present study obtained data on the frequency of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms from a national sample of Mexican journalists. The main objective of this exploratory and transversal study was to assess PTSD symptoms, and identify differences by gender (male/female), assignment (journalists who cover drug trafficking news/other journalists), and professional activity (reporter/ photographer). The PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C), and a questionnaire on sociodemographic data were used. The instruments were applied in a national context of war on drugs, in which acts of extreme violence like mass murders, beheadings and skinning are present. Results indicate that 35% of the journalists had PTSD symptoms. However, rates of PTSD symptoms in reporters who cover drug war news were significantly higher than in journalists who cover other assignments (p=.03).

Keywords : Posttraumatic stress disorder; Mexican journalists; war; drug trafficking.

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