The psychological effects of reporting extreme violence: a study of Kenyan journalists

Abstract

Objective To assess the psychological health of journalists in Kenya who have reported on, and been exposed to, extreme violence. Design Descriptive. Psychological responses were elicited to two stressors, the ethnic violence surrounding the disputed 2007 general election and the Al-Shabab attack on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi. Participants A representative sample of 90 Kenyan journalists was enrolled. Setting Newsrooms of two national news organizations in Kenya. Main outcome measures Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (Impact of Event Scale-revised), depression (Deck Depression inventory-revised) and general psychological wellbeing (General Health Questionnaire). Results Of the 90 journalists approached 57 (63.3%) responded. Journalists covering the election violence ( n = 23) reported significantly more PTSD type intrusion ( p = 0.027) and arousal ( p = 0.024) symptoms than their colleagues ( n = 34) who had not covered the violence. Reporting the Westgate attack was not associated with increased psychopathology. Being wounded ( n = 11) emerged as the most robust independent predictor of emotional distress. Journalists covering the ethnic violence compared to colleagues who did not were not more likely to receive psychological counselling. Conclusions These data, the first of their kind from an African country, replicate findings over a decade old from Western media, namely that journalists asked to cover life-threatening events may develop significant symptoms of emotional difficulties and fail to receive therapy for them. Good journalism, a pillar of civil society, depends on healthy journalists. It is hoped that these data act as a catalyst encouraging news organisations sending journalists into harm’s way to look out for their psychological health in doing so.