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Student reactions to traumatic material in literature: Implications for trigger warnings
Matthew Kimble1, William Flack2, Jennifer Koide1
1Department of Psychology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont, United States of America.
Plos One
|March 25, 2021
Summary
Most students read triggering material despite alternatives. Experiencing trauma or PTSD did not lead to increased distress or lasting symptoms after reading sensitive content.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Trauma Studies
Background:
- Trigger warnings are debated, but student responses to triggering material are understudied.
- Understanding student reactions is crucial for academic and support settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how undergraduate students respond to potentially triggering material.
- To assess the impact of reading sensitive content on distress, PTSD symptoms, and emotional reactivity.
Main Methods:
- 355 undergraduate students from four universities participated.
- Participants read a passage detailing physical and sexual assault.
- Longitudinal measures of distress, PTSD symptoms, and emotional reactivity were collected.
Main Results:
- Over 96% of students read the triggering passage, even with a non-triggering option.
- Students with prior trauma did not report increased distress.
- Higher PTSD scores correlated with distress, but symptoms did not worsen two weeks later.
Conclusions:
- Students with trauma do not avoid triggering material, and effects are generally brief.
- Reading sensitive content did not exacerbate trauma symptoms in students with PTSD two weeks post-exposure.
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