Abstract: 

This study investigates the relationships between perceiving media as a positive or negative influence (both news media and fictional media) during the war in Ukraine in 2022 and anxiety, distress, and resilience. Corroborating existing research, our study (N = 393, 47.3% male) showed that there was a clear relationship between the perceived negative impact of both news and fictional media during the war and increased symptoms of anxiety (b = .09, SE = 0.04, p = .024; b = 0.16, SE = 0.04, p < .001, respectively) and distress (b = 0.08, SE = 0.04, p = .047; b = 0.17, SE = 0.04, p < .001, respectively) as well as lowered psychological resilience (b = −0.10, SE = 0.05, p = .047; b = −0.15, SE = 0.06, p = .009, respectively). The study is the first to demonstrate this association for fictional media. Contrary to expectations, however, the perception of a positive impact of both news and fiction was not associated with decreased symptoms of anxiety and distress or higher resilience.

W.P. Malecki, Helena Bilandzic, Marta Kowal, Piotr Sorokowski (2023): Media experiences during the Ukraine war and their relationships with distress, anxiety, and resilience.
Journal of Psychiatric Research, Volume 165, Pages 273-281, DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.07.037.