Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. IFRAME: [1]https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-N8MP7P [2]Skip to main content (Submit) Open main navigation Live TV Please wait, loading... Please wait, loading... [3]Full Schedule [4]All Programs Live Radio Please wait, loading... Please wait, loading... Please wait, loading... [5]Full Schedule [6]All Programs * [7]United States [8]US Politics + [9]Immigration + [10]All About America + [11]Science & Health + [12]Silicon Valley & Technology * World [13]Africa + [14]The Americas + [15]East Asia Pacific + [16]Europe + [17]Extremism Watch + [18]Middle East + [19]South & Central Asia + [20]VOA News on Iran * Sections [21]Arts & Culture + [22]Day in Photos + [23]Economy & Business + [24]Press Freedom + [25]Plugged in with Greta Van Susteren + [26]VOA StudentU + [27]VOA Connect * [28]US News * [29]Press Freedom * [30]Silicon Valley & Technology * [31]VOA StudentU [32]Voice of America Logo (Submit) Search Search VOA News ____________________ (Submit) Search (Submit) Eng [33]Live TV Live TV Please wait, loading... Please wait, loading... [34]Full Schedule [35]All Programs [36]Live Radio Live Radio Please wait, loading... Please wait, loading... Please wait, loading... [37]Full Schedule [38]All Programs English [39]English [40]voanews.com [41]Learning English [42]learningenglish.voanews.com Eastern & Central Europe [43]Shqip [44]zeriamerikes.com [45]Bosanski [46]ba.voanews.com [47]Îλληνικά [48]gr.voanews.com [49]ÐакедонÑки [50]mk.voanews.com [51]Srpski [52]glasamerike.net [53]УкÑаÑнÑÑка [54]ukrainian.voanews.com Eurasia [55]ÕÕ¡ÕµÕ¥ÖÕ¥Õ¶ [56]amerikayidzayn.com [57]Azerbaijani [58]amerikaninsesi.org [59]á¥áá áá£áá [60]amerikiskhma.com [61]Ð ÑÑÑкий [62]golos-ameriki.ru Central Asia [63]O'zbek' [64]amerikaovozi.com South Asia [65]বাà¦à¦²à¦¾ [66]voabangla.com [67]Ø¯Ø±Û [68]darivoa.com [69]Ù¾Úت٠[70]pashtovoa.com [71]ÙÛ Ø§Ù Ø§Û ÚÙÙ٠رÙÚÛÙ [72]voadeewanews.com [73]ارد [74]urduvoa.com East & Southeast Asia [75]á»ááá¹áᬠ[76]burmese.voanews.com [77]ç²¤è¯ [78]voacantonese.com [79]ä¸æ [80]voachinese.com [81]Bahasa Indonesia [82]voaindonesia.com [83]ááááá [84]khmer.voanews.com [85]Khmer [86]voacambodia.com [87]íêµì´ [88]voakorea.com [89]ລາວ [90]lao.voanews.com [91]à¹à¸à¸¢ [92]voathai.com [93]à½à½¼à½à¼à½¡à½²à½ [94]voatibetan.com [95]Tiếng Viá»t [96]voatiengviet.com Africa [97]Afaan Oromoo [98]voaafaanoromoo.com [99]á ááá [100]amharic.voanews.com [101]Bambara [102]voabambara.com [103]Français [104]voaafrique.com [105]Hausa [106]voahausa.com [107]Kinyarwanda / Kirundi [108]radiyoyacuvoa.com [109]Ndebele [110]voandebele.com [111]Português [112]voaportugues.com [113]Shona [114]voashona.com [115]Soomaaliga [116]voasomali.com [117]Kiswahili [118]voaswahili.com [119]áµááá [120]tigrigna.voanews.com [121]Zimbabwe [122]voazimbabwe.com Middle East/North Africa [123]ÙØ§Ø±Ø³Û [124]ir.voanews.com [125]ÙÙØ±Ø¯Û [126]dengiamerika.com [127]Kurdi [128]dengeamerika.com [129]Türkçe [130]amerikaninsesi.com Latin America [131]Creole [132]voanouvel.com [133]Español [134]voanoticias.com [135]All About America How Major Traumas Like 9/11 Impact Nation's Psyche By Dora Mekouar September 11, 2019 06:37 AM Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email Print this page Comments Eighteen years ago, more than [136]60% of Americans watched as the worst terror attack ever to occur on U.S. soil unfolded on television -- either in real time or in repeated replays. That up-close view of the murders of almost 3,000 people jolted Americans out of the sense of security they'd enjoyed at least since World War II. "I think that up until that time, perhaps people were more optimistic or certainly had a sense that it couldn't happen here. Terrorist attacks were something that happened overseas, but not in the United States on our soil," says Roxane Cohen Silver, professor of psychological science at the University of California, Irvine. "The concept of fearing violence on a day-to-day basis just wasn't part of the existence of most people in the United States." TV viewers said the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack was the all-time most memorable moment shared by television viewers during the past 50 years, according to a 2012 study. TV viewers said the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack was the all-time most memorable moment shared by television viewers during the past 50 years, according to a 2012 study. Cohen Silver, who studies the impact of collective trauma, says some individuals with no direct connection to the 9/11 attacks exhibited symptoms that experts had previously assumed were the result of direct exposure to trauma. "Individuals who watched a great deal of television in the first week after 9/11 were more likely to exhibit post-traumatic stress symptomatology and physical health ailments years later," she says. Those symptoms often included anxiety and fear, as well as the onset of physical health ailments such as cardiovascular issues. "We learned from 9/11 that large-scale events could impact people beyond the directly affected communities, that the events that occurred in New York could impact people in Kansas," Cohen Silver says. "The second message we've learned from 9/11 was the important role of the media in transmitting that awareness and that potential anxiety." Students and others watch live television coverage of the 9/11 attacks on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, Sept. 11, 2001. Students and others watch live television coverage of the 9/11 attacks on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, Sept. 11, 2001. In the 18 years since 9/11, the rise of social media and smartphones has resulted in increased access to images of mass violence. In addition, there are no news editors or other middlemen to weed out potentially disturbing content. The speed with which these images reach people has also escalated. Young Americans born after 9/11 have grown up in a world where acts of mass violence are increasingly commonplace. More than 230 school shootings have occurred since 1999, when 13 people were killed at Columbine High School near Denver. A man cries on Sept. 11, 2001 after witnessing the collapse of the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. A man cries on Sept. 11, 2001 after witnessing the collapse of the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. Mass attacks continue to occur in places that Americans commonly view as safe spaces, from the 2016 Orlando nightclub attack that killed 49; the 2017 Las Vegas concert shooting where 58 people were killed and hundreds more wounded; to last month's shooting at a Texas Walmart that left 22 people dead. "We're so consumed with new events, you know, current events, hurricanes, mass violence events. And there are many of these that occur, and they're all tragic," says Cohen Silver. "But the psychological effects of September 11, 2019, cannot be directly linked to the 9/11 attacks without considering all of the rest of the things that have occurred." While the average American cannot control the violence around them, they can protect their mental health by not inundating themselves with images of the tragedies, which can be psychologically unhealthy. "I believe that people can be informed without becoming immersed in the media. There's no obvious benefit to repeated exposure to images and sounds of tragedy," says Cohen Silver. "And so, once people are informed, I would say to practice caution in the amount of media attention that they engage and the amount of media exposure that they engage in." Default Author Profile Written By [137]Dora Mekouar (Submit) (Submit) (Submit) (Submit) (Submit) [138]Twitter [139]Instagram [140]Facebook [141]YouTube [142]RSS Search VOA News ____________________ (Submit) Search * [143]United States [144]US Politics + [145]Immigration + [146]All About America + [147]Silicon Valley and Technology * World News [148]Africa + [149]The Americas + [150]East Asia Pacific + [151]Europe + [152]Middle East + [153]South & Central Asia * Sections [154]Arts & Culture + [155]Day in Photos + [156]Economy & Business + [157]Extremism Watch + [158]Press Freedom + [159]Science & Health + [160]VOA StudentU + [161]VOA Connect * Voice of America [162]About VOA + [163]Contact VOA + [164]Terms of Use and Privacy Notice + [165]Get Our Mobile App + [166]Usage Requests + [167]VOA Around the World + [168]VOA Pronunciation Guide + [169]Media Relations + [170]Listen on the radio + [171]Satellite Schedule + [172]Subscribe to Our Newsletters References Visible links 1. https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-N8MP7P 2. file://localhost/tmp/lynxXXXXf6afia/L18415698-8855TMP.html#main-content 3. file://localhost/watch/schedule 4. file://localhost/watch/programs 5. file://localhost/listen/schedule 6. file://localhost/listen/programs 7. file://localhost/usa 8. file://localhost/usa/us-politics 9. file://localhost/usa/immigration 10. file://localhost/usa/all-about-america 11. file://localhost/science-health 12. file://localhost/silicon-valley-technology 13. file://localhost/africa 14. file://localhost/americas 15. file://localhost/east-asia-pacific 16. file://localhost/europe 17. file://localhost/extremism-watch 18. file://localhost/middle-east 19. file://localhost/south-central-asia 20. file://localhost/middle-east/voa-news-iran 21. file://localhost/arts-culture 22. file://localhost/day-photos 23. file://localhost/economy-business 24. file://localhost/press-freedom 25. file://localhost/plugged-greta-van-susteren 26. file://localhost/student-union 27. file://localhost/voa-connect 28. file://localhost/usa 29. file://localhost/press-freedom 30. file://localhost/silicon-valley-technology 31. file://localhost/student-union 32. file://localhost/ 33. file://localhost/watch 34. file://localhost/watch/schedule 35. file://localhost/watch/programs 36. file://localhost/listen 37. file://localhost/listen/schedule 38. file://localhost/listen/programs 39. https://voanews.com/ 40. https://voanews.com/ 41. https://learningenglish.voanews.com/ 42. https://learningenglish.voanews.com/ 43. https://zeriamerikes.com/ 44. https://zeriamerikes.com/ 45. https://ba.voanews.com/ 46. https://ba.voanews.com/ 47. https://gr.voanews.com/ 48. https://gr.voanews.com/ 49. https://mk.voanews.com/ 50. https://mk.voanews.com/ 51. https://glasamerike.net/ 52. https://glasamerike.net/ 53. https://ukrainian.voanews.com/ 54. https://ukrainian.voanews.com/ 55. https://amerikayidzayn.com/ 56. https://amerikayidzayn.com/ 57. https://amerikaninsesi.org/ 58. https://amerikaninsesi.org/ 59. https://amerikiskhma.com/ 60. https://amerikiskhma.com/ 61. https://golos-ameriki.ru/ 62. https://golos-ameriki.ru/ 63. https://amerikaovozi.com/ 64. https://amerikaovozi.com/ 65. https://voabangla.com/ 66. https://voabangla.com/ 67. https://darivoa.com/ 68. https://darivoa.com/ 69. https://pashtovoa.com/ 70. https://pashtovoa.com/ 71. https://voadeewanews.com/ 72. https://voadeewanews.com/ 73. https://urduvoa.com/ 74. https://urduvoa.com/ 75. https://burmese.voanews.com/ 76. https://burmese.voanews.com/ 77. https://voacantonese.com/ 78. https://voacantonese.com/ 79. https://voachinese.com/ 80. https://voachinese.com/ 81. https://voaindonesia.com/ 82. https://voaindonesia.com/ 83. https://khmer.voanews.com/ 84. https://khmer.voanews.com/ 85. https://voacambodia.com/ 86. https://voacambodia.com/ 87. https://voakorea.com/ 88. https://voakorea.com/ 89. https://lao.voanews.com/ 90. https://lao.voanews.com/ 91. https://voathai.com/ 92. https://voathai.com/ 93. https://voatibetan.com/ 94. https://voatibetan.com/ 95. https://voatiengviet.com/ 96. https://voatiengviet.com/ 97. https://voaafaanoromoo.com/ 98. https://voaafaanoromoo.com/ 99. https://amharic.voanews.com/ 100. https://amharic.voanews.com/ 101. https://voabambara.com/ 102. https://voabambara.com/ 103. https://voaafrique.com/ 104. https://voaafrique.com/ 105. https://voahausa.com/ 106. https://voahausa.com/ 107. https://radiyoyacuvoa.com/ 108. https://radiyoyacuvoa.com/ 109. https://voandebele.com/ 110. https://voandebele.com/ 111. https://voaportugues.com/ 112. https://voaportugues.com/ 113. https://voashona.com/ 114. https://voashona.com/ 115. https://voasomali.com/ 116. https://voasomali.com/ 117. https://voaswahili.com/ 118. https://voaswahili.com/ 119. https://tigrigna.voanews.com/ 120. https://tigrigna.voanews.com/ 121. https://voazimbabwe.com/ 122. https://voazimbabwe.com/ 123. https://ir.voanews.com/ 124. https://ir.voanews.com/ 125. https://dengiamerika.com/ 126. https://dengiamerika.com/ 127. https://dengeamerika.com/ 128. https://dengeamerika.com/ 129. https://amerikaninsesi.com/ 130. https://amerikaninsesi.com/ 131. https://voanouvel.com/ 132. https://voanouvel.com/ 133. https://voanoticias.com/ 134. https://voanoticias.com/ 135. file://localhost/usa/all-about-america 136. https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037/0022-3514.95.3.709 137. file://localhost/author/dora-mekouar 138. https://twitter.com/voanews 139. https://www.instagram.com/voanews/ 140. https://www.facebook.com/voiceofamerica 141. https://www.youtube.com/user/VOAvideo 142. file://localhost/rssfeeds 143. file://localhost/usa 144. file://localhost/usa/us-politics 145. file://localhost/usa/immigration 146. file://localhost/usa/all-about-america 147. file://localhost/silicon-valley-technology 148. file://localhost/africa 149. file://localhost/americas 150. file://localhost/east-asia-pacific 151. file://localhost/europe 152. file://localhost/middle-east 153. file://localhost/south-central-asia 154. file://localhost/arts-culture 155. file://localhost/day-photos 156. file://localhost/economy-business 157. file://localhost/extremism-watch 158. file://localhost/press-freedom 159. file://localhost/science-health 160. file://localhost/student-union 161. file://localhost/voa-connect 162. https://www.insidevoa.com/p/5831.html 163. https://www.insidevoa.com/p/5621.html 164. https://www.voanews.com/terms-use-and-privacy-notice 165. file://localhost/voas-free-app-mobile-and-tablet-devices 166. http://www.insidevoa.com/p/5719.html 167. https://www.voanews.com/voa-around-world 168. http://pronounce.voanews.com/ 169. http://www.insidevoa.com/ 170. file://localhost/voa-broadcast-frequency-schedules 171. http://direct.voa24.news/english/portal/broadcast-schedule 172. file://localhost/subscribe Hidden links: 173. https://media.voltron.voanews.com/Drupal/01live-166/styles/sourced/s3/2019-09/AP_010911122413.jpg?itok=UFdF5hMr 174. file://localhost/s3/files/styles/sourced/s3/2019-09/AP_010911117439.jpg?itok=8tPpv-Nh 175. file://localhost/s3/files/styles/sourced/s3/2019-09/AP_010911112455.jpg?itok=yGjLR4XA .