"Canada's worst school shooting happened on February 12 in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, a small western community of 2,000. Eight are dead. A community is in mourning. A nation paused to remember those killed, as a few days later, leaders of the five major political parties in Canada all came together to offer their collective support to the community. They, like the entire population of Tumbler Ridge, and many others across Canada, were bystanders to a senseless act of violence."
"While there are plenty of studies of how bystanders respond when they see violence (and how their actions can prevent violence), there is little research on the impact of living in proximity to (or watching online) a mass casualty event like a school shooting. One notable exception is a new study led by Aparna Soni at the Fairbanks School of Public Health at Indiana University that uses Gallup's national survey data to show the effects on community well-being months after a mass shooting."
Mass shootings affect not only survivors but also distant bystanders who witness events through media. Media exposure to a mass casualty incident reduces people's sense of safety and immediate happiness, with measurable declines in community well-being months afterward. A national survey analysis found small but significant drops in perceived community safety and daily joy even among those not residing where the violence occurred. Communities benefit from collective mourning and support. Maintaining routines and engaging in helpful actions can improve individual resilience. Feelings of social efficacy and efforts to make communities safer tend to emerge later in the healing process.
Read at Psychology Today
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