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13 Rev. Eur. Stud. 1 (2021)

handle is hein.journals/rveurost13 and id is 1 raw text is: Review of European Studies; Vol. 13, No.1; 2021 ISSN 1918-7173 E-ISSN 1918-7181 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education Watching of Scary TV Shows by Children and Youth, Identification With Characters, and Resulting Fears and Nightmares Gila Cohen Zilka & Chen Goldberg2 Bar-Ilan University; Achva Academic College, Israel 2 University of Haifa, Israel Correspondence: Gila Cohen Zilka, Bar-Ilan University, Achva Academic College, Israel Received: September 29, 2020 Accepted: October 21, 2020 Online Published: November 23, 2020 doi:10.5539/res.vl3nlpl URL: https://doi.org/10.5539/res.vl3nlp1 Abstract The identification of children and adolescents with characters from the television programs they watch is not limited to the time when they view the program. The connection with the characters continues across the use of various digital means and in various realms of the children's lives. The purpose of the present study was to examine the connections between patterns of use of various media, the degree of identification with characters from the programs watched, and the fears and nightmares experienced by the children after watching these programs. This is a mixed-method study. Two hundred ninety-six Israeli children and adolescents participated in the study; 45 children and adolescents among those who completed questionnaires were interviewed. The data were collected in 2017-2018. The data revealed that negative identification with the show characters was higher among children than in adolescents. Positive identification with the characters was higher among viewers of scary programs, among those who suffered from nightmares and fears, and among those who perceived the characters and plot as realistic. It was found that interest in programs involving tension, drama, and action increases the risk of nightmares and fears after watching these programs. Keywords: viewing habits, TV programs, identification, wellbeing, television characters 1. Introduction The identification of children and adolescents with characters from the television programs they watch is not limited to the time of viewing the shows. Children and adolescents search the Internet for content related to the programs and the characters, join interest groups that discuss television programs and characters on social networks, and encounter these characters in other areas, such as marketed products related to television shows and characters, costumes of characters, items of clothing similar to those worn be the characters, etc. Characters from television shows are featured on various digital media and in different areas of the children's lives. In this study we examined the connections between patterns of use of various media, the degree of identification with characters from the programs watched, and the fears and nightmares that follow the watching of these programs. 2. The Media: A Part of the Children and Youth Environment Children today are exposed to a large selection of sources and channels of information. Many studies have shown that the media is playing an increasingly important role in children's lives (Byron, 2008; Livingstone et al., 2012; Livingstone et al., 2014; Ofcom, 2006; Taylor & Kitter, 2010; Zilka, 2014, 2016a, 2016b). Researchers (Atwal et al., 2003; Comstock & Scharrer, 2007; Gatfield & Millwood-Hargrave, 2003; Holbert & Stephenson, 2003; Livingstone, 2008, 2007; Millwood-Hargrave, 2007; Millwood-Hargrave & Livingstone, 2006, 2009) have argued that because the media is part of our living environment, its influence in shaping the personality of a child lies in its interaction with other environmental factors, which affect each other in different ways. Researchers (Leung, 2013; McQuail, 2010; West & Turner, 2007; Zilka, 2014, 2017, 2018a, 2018b, 2018c) have found that media consumers are rational, thinking persons who choose from a variety of media, decide to what they will be exposed, and shape their consumption habits according to their needs. For example, when children watch a program seeped in violence, it is necessary to find out what is the children's need, what is their reason for viewing violent content. The children must be offered an alternative option to the partial and at times negative solution they discover in the various media. Extensive viewing of violent content may create the impression in children that the world is violent and thus exacerbate their problem. 3. Identification With Characters Television is a narrative medium that tells stories, in which characters act. The degree of identification with TV 1

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