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A Developmental Psychopathology Perspective on Political Violence and Youth Adjustment: Recent Advances and Emerging Themes in Research and Intervention

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Mental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 March 2023) | Viewed by 11364

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Edward Mark Cummings

E-Mail Website
Chief Guest Editor
Department of Psychology, William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
Interests: adaptive and maladaptive family processes and development; relations between family and community contexts; cultural contexts of political violence for children and families; prevention programs to improve family functioning; children’s adjustment and well-being
Prof. Dr. Christine E. Merrilees

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo, NY 14454, USA
Interests: developmental intergroup processes; effects of political violence on youth development; intergroup bystander behaviors; peace psychology; longitudinal methods

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

According to the United Nations (2009), over 1 billion children are exposed to political violence worldwide. However, research on this vital issue has typically been limited to simply documenting that these children are at high risk for developing adjustment problems. Thus, scientific understanding is underdeveloped and approaches to intervention have limited research foundations (Cummings, Merrilees, Taylor, & Mondi, 2017). A developmental psychopathology perspective provides bases for more rigorously identifying the processes that underlie risk for adjustment problems and pathways that may lead to resilience, as well as well-developed avenues for translating research findings into more efficacious approaches to intervention. Accordingly, this Special Section aims to include manuscripts reflecting recent advances in longitudinal tests of process-oriented explanatory models for both resilience and adjustment problems as well as new directions for developing more efficacious interventions based on the translational intervention model espoused by the developmental psychopathology perspective. Finally, efforts will be made to include the contributions of promising junior scholars and diverse contexts of political violence and armed conflict.

Dr. Edward Mark Cummings
Prof. Christine E. Merrilees
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Political violence
  • Armed conflict
  • Developmental psychopathology
  • Translational
  • Process-oriented
  • Resilience
  • Adjustment
  • Intervention
  • Children
  • Longitudinal

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1469 KiB  
Article
Consequences of Exposure to War Violence: Discriminating Those with Heightened Risk for Aggression from Those with Heightened Risk for Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms
by L. Rowell Huesmann, Eric F. Dubow, Paul Boxer, Cathy Smith, Khalil Shikaki, Simha F. Landau and Shira Dvir Gvirsman
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(12), 6067; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph20126067 - 06 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1823
Abstract
Chronic exposure to ethnic–political and war violence has deleterious effects throughout childhood. Some youths exposed to war violence are more likely to act aggressively afterwards, and some are more likely to experience post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTS symptoms). However, the concordance of these two [...] Read more.
Chronic exposure to ethnic–political and war violence has deleterious effects throughout childhood. Some youths exposed to war violence are more likely to act aggressively afterwards, and some are more likely to experience post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTS symptoms). However, the concordance of these two outcomes is not strong, and it is unclear what discriminates between those who are at more risk for one or the other. Drawing on prior research on desensitization and arousal and on recent social–cognitive theorizing about how high anxious arousal to violence can inhibit aggression, we hypothesized that those who characteristically experience higher anxious arousal when exposed to violence should display a lower increase in aggression after exposure to war violence but the same or a higher increase in PTS symptoms compared to those low in anxious arousal. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed data from our 4-wave longitudinal interview study of 1051 Israeli and Palestinian youths (ages at Wave 1 ranged from 8 to 14, and at Wave 4 from 15–22). We used the 4 waves of data on aggression, PTS symptoms, and exposure to war violence, along with additional data collected during Wave 4 on the anxious arousal participants experienced while watching a very violent film unrelated to war violence (N = 337). Longitudinal analyses revealed that exposure to war violence significantly increased both the risk of subsequent aggression and PTS symptoms. However, anxious arousal in response to seeing the unrelated violent film (measured from skin conductance and self-reports of anxiety) moderated the relation between exposure to war violence and subsequent psychological and behavioral outcomes. Those who experienced greater anxious arousal while watching the violent film showed a weaker positive relation between amount of exposure to war violence and aggression toward their peers but a stronger positive relation between amount of exposure to war violence and PTS symptoms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Developmental Psychopathology Perspective on Political Violence and Youth Adjustment: Recent Advances and Emerging Themes in Research and Intervention)
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16 pages, 612 KiB  
Article
Exploring Naturalistic Diffusion of an Evidence-Based Mental Health Intervention across Peer Networks of Youth in Sierra Leone
by Alethea Desrosiers, Laura Bond, Morgan Hoffman, Praveen Kumar, Carolyn Schafer, Isha W. Metzger, Alpha Vandi, Miriam Hinton and Theresa S. Betancourt
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(5), 4059; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph20054059 - 24 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2249
Abstract
Background: Understanding the mechanisms by which evidence-based interventions (EBIs) for mental health are naturally diffused among youth in low-and middle-income countries—particularly those with histories of violence and civil unrest—can illuminate which intervention elements are most transferrable and inform scale-up decisions that support youth [...] Read more.
Background: Understanding the mechanisms by which evidence-based interventions (EBIs) for mental health are naturally diffused among youth in low-and middle-income countries—particularly those with histories of violence and civil unrest—can illuminate which intervention elements are most transferrable and inform scale-up decisions that support youth adjustment. This study explored the diffusion of an evidence-based mental health intervention—the Youth Readiness Intervention (YRI)—among peer networks of Sierra Leonean youth (aged 18–30) who participated in a trial of the intervention as integrated into youth entrepreneurship programs. Methods: Trained research assistants recruited index participants who had completed the YRI integrated within entrepreneurship training (N = 165) and control index participants (N = 165). Index participants nominated three of their closest peers. Nominated peers were recruited and enrolled in the current study (N = 289). A sub-sample of index participants and peers participated in dyadic interviews (N = 11) and focus group discussions (N = 16). Multivariate regression analysis compared YRI knowledge levels among YRI participants’ peers relative to control participants’ peers. Results: Qualitative findings supported the diffusion of several YRI skills and components across peer networks (i.e., progressive muscle relaxation and diaphragmatic breathing). Quantitative findings indicated that YRI knowledge was significantly higher for YRI participants’ peers (β = 0.02, p < 0.00) compared to control participants’ peers. Conclusion: Findings suggest that diffusion of evidence-based intervention components can occur naturally among peers in post-conflict LMIC settings. Developing tools to promote the diffusion of the most transferrable EBI components across peer networks could help maximize the benefits of mental health interventions for youth adjustment and resilience in post-conflict settings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Developmental Psychopathology Perspective on Political Violence and Youth Adjustment: Recent Advances and Emerging Themes in Research and Intervention)
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17 pages, 636 KiB  
Article
Evaluating the Role of Maternal and Paternal Trauma Exposure, Emotional Security, and Mental Health in Predicting Psychological Adjustment among Palestinian Adolescents
by Catherine A. Maloney, Laura E. Miller-Graff, Bethany Wentz and Edward Mark Cummings
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(15), 9288; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19159288 - 29 Jul 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1944
Abstract
Previous research has established a strong relationship between family system functioning and child adjustment outcomes. However, within the context of Gaza, an evaluation of both maternal and paternal factors associated with adolescent psychological adjustment has not yet been thoroughly evaluated. The current study [...] Read more.
Previous research has established a strong relationship between family system functioning and child adjustment outcomes. However, within the context of Gaza, an evaluation of both maternal and paternal factors associated with adolescent psychological adjustment has not yet been thoroughly evaluated. The current study examines how maternal and paternal trauma exposure, emotional security, and mental health are related to parent-reported scores of adolescent psychological adjustment, while controlling for adolescent trauma exposure and security in the family. The sample included N = 68 family units living in the Gaza Strip, with two parents and one adolescent surveyed within each unit (adolescent Mage = 14.03 years). The regression model examining maternal factors was significant overall (F = 7.44, R2 = 42.70%, p < 0.001), with increased maternal depression associated with greater adolescent adjustment difficulties (β = 0.31, p = 0.011) and greater maternal emotional security in the family associated with fewer adolescent adjustment difficulties (β = −0.36, p = 0.004). The regression model examining paternal factors was also significant (F = 4.57, R2 = 31.00%, p < 0.001), with increased paternal trauma exposure associated with greater adolescent adjustment difficulties (β = 0.32, p = 0.012). Understanding family-level factors associated with adolescent adjustment is an important step in conceptualizing the mental health needs of conflict-affected youth within the context of Gaza and more broadly. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Developmental Psychopathology Perspective on Political Violence and Youth Adjustment: Recent Advances and Emerging Themes in Research and Intervention)
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11 pages, 1239 KiB  
Article
Age as a Dynamic Moderator of Relations between Exposure to Political Conflict and Mental Health in Belfast, Northern Ireland
by Christine E. Merrilees, Laura K. Taylor, Marcie C. Goeke-Morey, Peter Shirlow and E. Mark Cummings
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(14), 8339; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19148339 - 08 Jul 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1479
Abstract
Identifying how, when, and under what conditions exposure to political conflict is associated with youth mental health problems is critical to developing programming to help youth exposed to various forms of political violence. The current study uses Time Varying Effects Modeling (TVEM) to [...] Read more.
Identifying how, when, and under what conditions exposure to political conflict is associated with youth mental health problems is critical to developing programming to help youth exposed to various forms of political violence. The current study uses Time Varying Effects Modeling (TVEM) to examine how relations between exposure to ethno-politically motivated antisocial behavior and mental health problems change as a function of age in a sample of youth from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Young people (N = 583, Mage 16.51 wave 1, 17.23 wave 2) self-reported their exposure to sectarian antisocial behavior, nonsectarian antisocial behavior, and mental health problems as part of a longitudinal study of youth across multiple neighborhoods in Belfast. The results suggest mental health problems and associations with exposure to sectarian antisocial behavior change in nonlinear patterns throughout adolescence, with the strongest links between exposure to political conflict and mental health between ages 16 and 19. Significant relations between nonsectarian antisocial behavior and mental health problems were not indicated for the full sample but the results suggested a relation emerged in later adolescence for Protestant youth, the historical majority group. The value of this exploratory approach to examining relations between key context and psychological variables for youth in contexts of political tension and violence is discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Developmental Psychopathology Perspective on Political Violence and Youth Adjustment: Recent Advances and Emerging Themes in Research and Intervention)
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17 pages, 583 KiB  
Article
Refugee Children’s Social–Emotional Capacities: Links to Mental Health upon Resettlement and Buffering Effects on Pre-Migratory Adversity
by Ruth Speidel, Emma Galarneau, Danah Elsayed, Shahdah Mahhouk, Joanne Filippelli, Tyler Colasante and Tina Malti
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(22), 12180; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph182212180 - 19 Nov 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3088
Abstract
Refugee children who experience severe pre-migratory adversity often show varying levels of mental health upon resettlement. Thus, it is critical to identify the factors that explain which refugee children experience more vs. less healthy outcomes. The present study assessed child social–emotional capacities (i.e., [...] Read more.
Refugee children who experience severe pre-migratory adversity often show varying levels of mental health upon resettlement. Thus, it is critical to identify the factors that explain which refugee children experience more vs. less healthy outcomes. The present study assessed child social–emotional capacities (i.e., emotion regulation, sympathy, optimism, and trust) as potential moderators of associations between child, parental, and familial pre-migratory adversities and child mental health (i.e., internalizing and externalizing symptoms) upon resettlement. Participants were N = 123 five- to 12-year-old Syrian refugee children and their mothers living in Canada. Children and mothers reported their pre-migratory adverse life experiences, and mothers reported their children’s current social–emotional capacities, internalizing symptoms, and externalizing symptoms. Greater familial (i.e., the sum of children’s and their mother’s) pre-migratory adversity was associated with higher child internalizing and externalizing symptoms upon resettlement. Higher emotion regulation and optimism were associated with lower internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and higher sympathy was associated with lower externalizing symptoms. In contrast, higher trust was associated with higher internalizing symptoms. Finally, higher child optimism buffered against the positive association between familial pre-migratory adversity and child internalizing symptoms. In sum, select social–emotional capacities may serve as potential protective factors that support mental health and buffer against the deleterious effects of pre-migratory adversity in refugee children. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Developmental Psychopathology Perspective on Political Violence and Youth Adjustment: Recent Advances and Emerging Themes in Research and Intervention)
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