News Narratives and Mental Health: The Psychological Impact of Rape Coverage on Young Women

Abstract

Media is the fourth pillar of democracy as it plays an essential role in shaping public opinion and disseminating important information. The current study aims to explore the psychological impact of rape news on young adult women’s mental health. A semi-structured interview was used in this study to demonstrate the psychological influence of rape news representations in broadcast media on young adults and the rape victims. Where the findings suggested that the way rape is advertised in the media has the potential to shape people's impressions of it. The research also underscores that Indian population is in need of sensitization training for such matters.