Acute Stress Disorders Among Jordanian Adolescents After Watching Gaza News Footage on Social Media

• Main Authors: Al-Maghaireh D, Shawish NS, Alsaqer K, Kawafha M, Sheyab HS, Al Mushasha RA, Al Kofahi A
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2024
• Subjects: gaza; acute; stress; social media; news footage; adolescents; Medicine (General); R5-920; sami
• Online Access: https://doaj.org/article/6f47695f87df4cc884671ce16291ca3f

Dua’a Al-Maghaireh,1 Najah Sami Shawish,2 Khitam Alsaqer,1 Mariam Kawafha,3 Heidar Sultan Sheyab,4 Rama Ashraf Al Mushasha,5 Abedelkder Al Kofahi6 1Faculty of Nursing, Irbid National University, Irbid, Jordan; 2Faculty of Nursing, Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan; 3Faculty of Nursing, Philadelphia University, Amman, Jordan; 4College of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan; 5College of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan; 6Irbid University College, Al Balqa Applied University, Irbid JordanCorrespondence: Dua’a Al-Maghaireh, Faculty of Nursing, Irbid National University, Irbid, Jordan, Email [e-mail]: The ongoing conflict in Gaza has led to a surge in acute stress among individuals who are exposed to distressing images and videos daily via social media.Aim: This study aimed to examine the impact of watching Gaza news footage on social media among Jordanian adolescents, and explore the experiences of watching Gaza news footage on social media from the perspective of adolescents.Methods: An explanatory mixed methods design was conducted from 10/10/2023 until 6/11/2023, undertaken at two government high schools in Jordan. The Perceived Stress Scale was used to survey 180 Jordanian students who watched Gaza news footage on social media. Then the students who had high stress levels were interviewed.Results: 180 students participated in this study, more than half of them were male (52.2%). The quantitative findings showed that the students experienced high stress levels, with a mean score of 3.78 (SD = 1.24). 70% of students reported high levels of stress, the amount of time spent watching news footage about the Gaza attack on social media each day, and the presence of social support from family or peers are significantly linked to stress levels (p < 0.05). The qualitative findings revealed the following themes: Extreme Emotional Responses, Sources of Stressors and Impact of Stress Extreme Emotional Responses, Sources of Stressors and Impact ...