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Psychotherapists' preferences for television and movies during the early stages of the COVID‐19 pandemic
Author(s) -
Farber Barry A.,
Ort Daisy,
Mayopoulos Gus
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.23005
Subject(s) - pandemic , psychology , distancing , covid-19 , distraction , flexibility (engineering) , social psychology , cognitive psychology , outbreak , medicine , statistics , mathematics , disease , pathology , virology , infectious disease (medical specialty)
This study investigated psychotherapists' media use since the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic. A total of 186 psychotherapists completed a 15‐item self‐report survey on the movies and TV shows they had watched, and the reasons for their choices, since the outbreak of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Results indicated therapists primarily watched material they described as comedic, distracting, thought‐provoking, and psychologically engaging. In addition, they reported choosing media that appealed to their spouses and/or children. It is theorized that therapists' media selections are reinforcing their regulatory flexibility, allowing them to grapple with the harsh reality of the pandemic while simultaneously providing themselves emotional safety and relief in the form of distancing and distraction.