Trigger warning: Empirical evidence ahead
Research carried out at Harvard University last year cast doubt on the usefulness of trigger warnings. The results were reported in a paper with the title, Trigger warning: Empirical evidence ahead:
Trigger warnings may inadvertently undermine some aspects of emotional resilience. Further research is needed on the generalizability of our findings, especially to collegiate populations and to those with trauma histories.
However, this research was limited to participants who had no history of trauma. Now, a follow-up study reports on participants who were survivors of serious trauma, and the findings were more alarming:
We found substantial evidence that trigger warnings countertherapeutically reinforce survivors' view of their trauma as central to their identity.
The overall conclusion was:
Trigger warnings are not helpful for trauma survivors. It is less clear whether trigger warnings are explicitly harmful. However, such knowledge is unnecessary to adjudicate whether to use trigger warnings–because trigger warnings are consistently unhelpful, there is no evidence-based reason to use them.
It turns out that trigger warnings are a little like giving advice—superficially seeming like a good idea but in reality either useless or potentially harmful. It seems to me that trigger warnings are by now such a well established meme that they will be difficult to eradicate.
Charlie
This might be true for PTSD, but this conclusion can't be drawn for all illnesses that have triggers.
I would actually like to see more trigger warnings, as I have been caught off guard before.
Common food allergen alerts? Those allergens are triggers. Flashing lights warning? Trigger warning for those with epilepsy or migraines.
Issues I have had, going into a home furnishings type of store I wasn't expecting strong scents right as I walked in, it caused an asthma attack. I did an escape room and spoke to the employees beforehand to make sure it was safe for me - they didn't inform me that one of the rooms filled up with fog. Luckily with that I was in another group, but it was 50/50 if I would have experienced that and that could have triggered a hereditary angioedema attack.
Trigger warnings DO have a positive effect on mental health. By reducing the surprises of health triggers, it allows people to make informed choices as to whether or not they will be exposed to a trigger and they can plan to take some prophylactic measures beforehand. This can reduce the stress of managing an illness and give someone more control over managing their health.
@RarelyCharlie
What about just saying 'May contain xyz' or 'Contains subject matter on xyz etc' like they do on the tv, that way people can choose and not get surprised?
Listening .... One Step At A Time
@MistyMagic honestly, I thought that was what trigger warnings were. Did I misunderstand something?
@BlueBetta
I think it's that the word trigger triggers too?
Listening .... One Step At A Time
@MistyMagic I always appreciate those.