Who can best support us through cumulative trauma exposure in the media? Data from civilians during an ongoing war

In the digital age, exposure to media-related trauma is increasing, triggering clinical symptoms, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), even in those without direct trauma exposure. This effect is especially pronounced during wartime, when civilians are not only inundated with images and stories from the battlefield but also experience a heightened sense of personal involvement as the suffering affects their own communities, acquaintances, or even loved ones. Social support may alleviate clinical symptoms, but its effectiveness varies by source. Whereas previous studies have primarily focused on professionals in high-risk roles, the current study aims to test for the first time whether and how different sources of social support affect the tendency to develop PTSD symptoms following cumulative trauma exposure during an ongoing war. Two hundred and five Israeli civilians were assessed for media-related trauma exposure, social support, and PTSD symptom severity during the first year of the Israel-Hamas war. The results revealed that, in general, greater social support was associated with decreased symptom severity. However, only support from friends moderated the relationship between cumulative media-related trauma exposure and the tendency to develop symptoms. Hence, individuals with low friend support showed increased PTSD symptoms as trauma exposure accumulated. Conversely, those with high friend support maintained low levels of symptoms regardless of their exposure level. These findings remained significant when controlling for general trauma exposure. The findings highlight the need to develop interventions that strengthen friend support as a protective factor against cumulative media-related trauma exposure.