Long-term fright reactions extend beyond scary movies, TV shows

ANN ARBOR?Watching a scary movie or TV program can leave some people still feeling frightened years later. But now different media platforms, such as social media and the internet, and nonfictional media (TV news, documentaries, internet news feeds) are creating those frightened reactions that can have long-term effects, according to a new University of Michigan study. U-M researchers followed up on the 1999 media fright study in which participants reported long-term fright reaction and "residual anxiety" from watching horror movies and television programs with disturbing content during childhood and adolescence that lingered into adulthood. In addition, that study?conducted by researchers at U-M and the University of Wisconsin'also found that young people exposed to scary moments relied on behavioral coping strategies, such as covering their eyes or leaving the room. On the other hand, those older when they viewed it used cognitive strategies, such as reassuring themselves that "it's just a movie" or "this could never happen in real life." The current study captured the developments in frightening media content and audience responses not addressed in the 1999 study. Nearly 220 participants completed an online questionnaire, asking them to reflect on media fright experiences at childhood (before age 13) and then as a teen or adult. These experiences involved a media depiction that disturbed or frightened the person so much that the emotional effect continued after the depiction ended.