Exposure to Media Violence and Vicarious Trauma Among Tertiary Victims in Selected Barangays of Malita, Davao Occidental

This research focused on the level of media violence and its influence on vicarious trauma among tertiary victims in selected barangays of Malita, Davao Occidental, and determined the strength of the correlation between the two variables, their level of exposure to media violence and vicarious trauma, and which domain of media violence had the most impact. A descriptive-correlational research design was utilized, involving three hundred ninety-five (395) tertiary victim respondents who completed an adaptive survey questionnaire. Statistical tools employed included mean, Spearman’s rho, and stepwise regression analysis. Findings revealed that justified violence was at a high level (3.71), media violence and aggression was low (3.34), and the overall mean was moderate (3.33). Vicarious trauma garnered an overall mean of 3.53, indicating a high level. The correlation analysis yielded an r-value of 0.524, reflecting a moderate positive and statistically significant relationship (p < 0.001). Among three predictors, enjoyment of violence (β = 0.450, SE = 0.032, p < 0.001) had the strongest influence, surpassing the significance threshold and leading to rejection of the null hypothesis. The R² value indicated that 31.8% of the data fit the regression model, demonstrating that exposure to media violence significantly influences vicarious trauma.