Key Takeaways:
- The impact of mass violence, such as the Bondi beach terrorist attack, extends beyond those directly affected, causing fear, anger, and uncertainty in the wider community.
- The spread of distress can be intensified by media and social networks, leading to secondary harm for survivors and targeted communities.
- There are three evidence-based ways to reduce secondary harm: reducing unwanted exposure, slowing down information, and avoiding group blame.
- Psychological first aid principles, such as reducing feelings of overwhelm, strengthening social support, and connecting people to reliable information and services, can be applied at a population level to promote recovery.
- The wider public can play a crucial role in reducing secondary harm by being mindful of their online behavior and promoting a culture of empathy and understanding.
Introduction to Secondary Harm
After a mass violence event, such as the Bondi beach terrorist attack, the distress and trauma experienced by those directly affected can be severe and long-lasting. However, the impact of such events does not stop with those directly affected. Fear, anger, and uncertainty can spread through media and social networks, intensifying harm for survivors and targeted communities. The wider public can play a significant role in shaping what happens next, and it is essential to understand how to reduce secondary harm.
The Ripple Effect of Distress
Research on disasters and mass violence shows that distress can ripple beyond those directly affected, with a smaller proportion of people developing longer-lasting symptoms. Human threat detection systems are designed to respond quickly to danger, prioritizing survival over nuance. When threat systems activate, they mobilize the body and narrow focus, leading to feelings of being on high alert, losing sleep, having intrusive thoughts or images, feeling irritable, or feeling driven to seek information and certainty. These responses are common patterns from a nervous system experiencing uncertainty, and people’s responses vary widely in intensity. The feeling of threat also spreads socially, with humans being sensitive to others’ emotions, especially in unclear situations.
The Role of Distance in Shaping Responses
Distance from an event is not just geographic; it also includes what you saw or heard, perceived ongoing risk, and how close the event feels through your community or identity group. For survivors and bereaved families, the early phase is often dominated by shock, grief, and practical demands. Coping may look less like emotional "processing" and more like survival through hours that feel unreal. Witnesses, first responders, and locals may develop place-based fear, where familiar places start to feel dangerous. Communities who feel targeted can experience a shared sense of threat, and being on high alert reflects an understandable change in their sense of safety. Remote observers are not immune, and vivid imagery and emotionally charged discussion can trigger the body’s threat response, even from a distance.
The Spread of Rumors, Rage, and Scapegoating
Under threat, uncertainty itself becomes stressful, and clear stories feel safer than unresolved ones, even when facts are incomplete. This makes people more likely to spread rumors after attacks. Research suggests that being exposed to rumors during crises is linked to higher distress, which can drive more searching for information and create a feedback loop. Early false claims can still stick emotionally after correction, because high stress strengthens emotional memory. Social media accelerates these dynamics, with fast, emotionally charged content tend to travel further than slow, verified corrections. Outrage spreads for similar reasons, with anger focusing fear and reducing helplessness. Scapegoating is another common response, blaming a whole group for one person’s actions, which can increase risk for innocent people and deepen fear for targeted communities, adding secondary harm.
Reducing Secondary Harm
Disaster psychology separates the event itself from the conditions that shape recovery, including safety, trust, connection, and manageable exposure. Psychological first aid, widely used in disaster response, focuses on reducing the feeling of being overwhelmed, strengthening social support, and connecting people to reliable information and services. These principles can be applied at a population level when it comes to what we see and share online. There are three evidence-based ways the wider public can help reduce secondary harm: reducing unwanted exposure, slowing down information, and avoiding group blame. By being mindful of their online behavior and promoting a culture of empathy and understanding, the wider public can play a crucial role in reducing secondary harm and promoting recovery.
Conclusion
The Bondi beach terror attack aimed to spread fear beyond its victims, but with the right approach, we can help fight it and ensure the community heals after such horror. By understanding the ripple effect of distress, the role of distance in shaping responses, and the spread of rumors, rage, and scapegoating, we can take steps to reduce secondary harm. By applying psychological first aid principles and being mindful of our online behavior, we can promote a culture of empathy and understanding, and support the recovery of those affected by mass violence.
