Exposure to online hate speech is positively associated with post-traumatic stress disorder symptom severity

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after traumatic events is prevalent and can lead to negative consequences. While social media use has been associated with PTSD, little is known about the specific association of online hate speech on social media networks and PTSD, and whether such association is stronger among those with difficulties in emotion regulation, who may have a harder time coping with hate speech. In a general population sample of Jewish adults (aged 18-70) in Israel (N = 3,998), assessed about two months after the wide-scale terror attacks of October 7, 2023, regression analysis was used to explore the association of online hate speech and self-reported PTSD symptomology. Difficulties in emotion regulation (DER) was explored as a moderator of the association. Greater frequency of hate speech was significantly associated with increased PTSD symptomology, adjusting for problematic use of technology, terror and war exposure, and prior mental health issues. The association differed significantly by DER; as difficulties increased, the association was stronger. Public health campaigns could educate about the potential harms of hate speech to help individuals make informed choices, and clinicians could discuss possible hate speech effects with patients more vulnerable to PTSD, for example, those with emotion dysregulation.