1. Limitations and Future Directions
The Charlie Hebdo Terror Attack in Paris: Follow-up of French Citizens’ Terrorist Threat Perception and Its Consequences
Petra Pelletier and Ewa Drozda-Senkowska (Paris Descartes University, France)
Abstract
Method
Terrorist Threat Perception
Mean Levels of Personal and Collective Terrorist Threat Perception
Terrorist threat perception was situated at the collective level, t(151) = 13.80, p < .001, rather than at the personal level, t(151) = , p < .001
Terrorist threat perception has not decreased over time neither at the personal level, F(2, 149) = 1.52, p = .223, nor at the collective level, F(2, 149) = .074, p = .929
Overall Frequency of Behavioral Changes
Terrorist threat perception predicted avoidance of certain areas in Paris due to the fear of terrorist attack, R² = .034, F (1, 150) = 5.31, p = .023
Social Sharing of Emotions
Talking F(2, 157) = 32.97, p < .001 and Hearing F(2, 157) = 53.64, p < .001, across Time
Mean Ratings for Scales Assessing the Extent of Talking and Hearing about the Terrorist Attack
Socioemotional Climate
Mean Levels of Positive and Negative Socioemotional Climate
Positive socioemotional climate of their country have evolved over time, F(2, 142) = 2.99, p = .054, contrary to the negative socioemotional climate of their country, F(2, 143) = 1.53, p = .221
Participants’ overall positive affect state (β = .29, p < .001) predicted the positive socioemotional climate scores, R² = .082, F (1, 141) = 12.54, p < .001 and participants’ overall negative affect state (β = -.29, p < .001) predicted the negative socioemotional climate scores, R² = .085, F (1, 142) = 13.27, p < .001.
The social sharing of emotions was a non-significant mediator between the personal affect states and the socioemotional climate
The present research investigates French citizens’ responses to Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack of 7th January 2015 in Paris. Researchers examined terrorist threat perception, behavioral changes, social sharing of emotions and perceived socioemotional climate using the social stage model of collective coping with disasters (Pennebaker & Harber, 1993). This longitudinal quasi-experimental study was conducted by a questionnaire at three point of time (i.e., one week, one month and two months) following the attack. The results show that the extent of social sharing and the positive socioemotional climate decreased from the initial emergency stage to the subsequent adaptation stage. Such findings point to the importance of taking temporality into account to provide better understanding of lay people’s responses to terrorism.
Participants
Participants were French citizens (N = 161) recruited through probability sampling at the Republic square in Paris
Participants age ranged from 18 to 74 years (M = 35.79, SD = 15.46)
Participants completed a multi-part paper-and-pencil version of the questionnaire
Study was conducted at three points of time (i.e., one week, one month and two month) following the terrorist attack
Measures
Word-Association Task
Terrorist Threat Perception Assessment (personal vs. collective)
Behavioral Changes Assessment (changes in participants’ daily life)
Personal Emotions Assessment (PANAS)
Social Sharing of Emotions Assessment (Rimé, Paez, Basabe, & Martinez, 2010)
Socioemotional Climate Assessment (positive vs negative)
Introduction
France has suffered a wave of terrorist attacks in 2015
Terrorism is a form of « psychological warfare » based primarily on the public perception of threat, having two distinct components: personal and collective (Huddy, Feldman, Capelos, & Provost, 2002)
Increased terrorist threat perception has been related to specific avoidance behavioral reactions (e.g., Goodwin, Willson, Gaines, 2005) and strong emotional reactions (e.g., Conejero & Etxebarria, 2007)
People tend to share their emotions and their understanding of the event by talking with others (Rimé, 2005) which allow spreading of emotional communications within the social networks
Temporal dynamics of social sharing processes was formalized within the social stage model of collective coping with disasters (Pennebaker & Harber, 1993)
The interpersonal dynamics of social sharing of emotions contribute to the construction of the socioemotional climate within a society (Paez, Basabe, Ubillos, & Gonzalez-Castro, 2007)
Discussion
Temporal perspective of lay people’s responses to terrorism
Replication of post-terrorist social sharing dynamics repported in Madrid (Rimé et al., 2010)
Extention of the social stage model of collective coping with disasters to the complementary variables
Linking the micro- and macro- social processes
Results related to the specific cultural context linked to the strong symbolic value of Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack
(French democratic values)
Results
Word-Association Task
The frequency distribution of participants’ responses related to Democratic Values (i.e., Freedom of Speech, Solidarity, Secularism) decreased from the initial emergency stage to the subsequent adaptation stage two months later, χ² (4, N = 93) = 9.69, p < .05
The overall frequency pattern of participants'’ responses was similar over time, χ² (22, N = 571) = 29.62, p = .128
Limitations and Future Directions
Limitations related to the small sample size and samplig procedure
Further investigation of mediators between the micro- and macro- social processes needed
Improving the comprehension of the interpersonal and societal consequences of terrorist attacks
Purpose
The main purpose of the present study is to test and to extend the social stage model of collective coping with disasters in a French context to improve the comprehension of lay people’s responses to terrorist attacks and their temporal evolution