Anxiety about war and terrorism in Australian high-school children

Abstract

Ninety-two South Australian high-school students (mean age = 15.2 years) responded to a self-report questionnaire about anxiety regarding current world issues of war and terrorism. Participants also provided information about their social supports and levels of psychological distress. Ninety percent of respondents reported occasional or more frequent anxiety about war and terrorism. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed. Respondents' reported anxiety about specific issues of war and terrorism related to gender and general anxiety levels; social supports explained little of the variance, whereas the addition of frequency and satisfaction with discussion explained significantly more of the variance. Qualitative data supported these results. Children need chances to talk over issues such as terrorism (both to obtain trustworthy information and to express concerns) to help reduce anxiety. Further research into the effect of media reports and pictures on psychological responses in schoolchildren would be useful. Schoolteachers could reduce anxieties in high-school students by fostering informed discussion.