Erica Scharrer, 2017 PEP Fellow, has co-authored new research finding that persistent news coverage of school shootings can take a significant toll on teenagers’ mental health

Erica Scharrer has co-authored new research finding that persistent news coverage of school shootings can take a significant toll on teenagers’ mental health and that cognitive coping strategies may inadvertently exacerbate stress rather than alleviate it. “We were so sad to learn this. It went exactly against what we had hypothesized,” Scharrer says. The research examined the May 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas as a case study. Read more here and here
 

In appreciation of their generous support, the UMass Public Engagement Project would like to thank the Office of the Provost, University Relations, and the Colleges of Natural Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences,  Humanities and Fine Arts, Engineering, Public Health and Health Sciences, and Education.  The UMass Public Engagement Project also recognizes and appreciates in-kind contributions and collaborations with the Center for Research on Families and the Institute for Social Science Research. 

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