Abstract
Background: Indirect exposure to disasters and violence through continuous news and social media is increasingly common among adolescents. However, instruments designed to assess media-induced indirect trauma in this population remain limited and conceptually heterogeneous.Objective: This systematic review aims to synthesize the characteristics and psychometric evidence of instruments measuring media-induced indirect trauma and evaluate their suitability for adolescents.Methods: This review of outcome measurement instruments (OMIs) was conducted using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) methodology and reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses-COSMIN for OMIs 2024 guideline. Eight electronic databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles published between 1 January 2000 and 22 October 2025, in English or Korean. Reference list screening was also performed. Eligible studies used or developed self-report instruments assessing media-induced vicarious, secondary, or indirect trauma responses to potentially traumatic events. Methodological quality was evaluated using the COSMIN Risk of Bias checklist, and certainty of evidence was graded using a modified Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach.Results: Seven instruments were evaluated, varying in conceptual focus, recall periods, and contextual framing. Evidence for structural validity and internal consistency was generally moderate, whereas content validity was rated very low across all instruments. Overall, while evidence for internal structure is relatively stronger, substantial gaps in content validity and longitudinal measurement properties limit confident application in adolescents.Conclusion: Future research should prioritize adolescent-inclusive validation; systematic content validity evaluations; and rigorous reporting of test-retest reliability, measurement error, responsiveness, and interpretability.