Longitudinal Pathways Between Political Violence and Child Adjustment: The Role of Emotional Security about the Community in Northern Ireland

Abstract

Links between political violence and children’s adjustment problems are well-documented. However, the mechanisms by which political tension and sectarian violence relate to children’s well-being and development are little understood. This study longitudinally examined children’s emotional security about community violence as a possible regulatory process in relations between community discord and children’s adjustment problems. Families were selected from 18 working class neighborhoods in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Participants (695 mothers and children, M=12.17, SD=1.82) were interviewed in their homes over three consecutive years. Findings supported the notion that politically-motivated community violence has distinctive effects on children’s externalizing and internalizing problems through the mechanism of increasing children’s emotional insecurity about community. Implications are considered for understanding relations between political violence and child adjustment from a social ecological perspective.

Examining Bidirectional Pathways Between Exposure to Political Violence and Adolescent Adjustment in Northern Ireland

“…The neighborhoods all met the criteria of being (a) interfaced, (b) low ranking on the multiple deprivation scale (indicating high levels of deprivation on a Deprivation Index, including lower socio-economic status (see Cummings et al, 2011), and (c) have variation in history and recent levels of sectarian violence. Interfaced neighborhoods are areas that are homogenous by Catholic/Protestant identity, that are directly next to or alongside of an area that was from the other group.…”

Family systems approach to attachment relations, war trauma, and mental health among Palestinian children and parents

“…A study of Northern Irish children and parents confirmed that secure emotional family relations predicted low levels of psychological distress despite prolonged and severe sectarian and political violence (Cummings et al, 2011). Follow-up analyses revealed close and dynamic interactions among traumatic political events, children’s aggressive symptoms, and family violence and conflicts.…”

“…By contrast, supportive, secure, and wise parenting practices can protect children’s mental health, optimal development, and resilience in the life-endangering conditions of war (Betancourt et al, 2011; Cummings et al, 2011; Feldman, Vengrober, Eidelman-Rothman, & Zagoory-Sharon, 2013; Qouta, Punamäki, Miller, & El Sarraj, 2008). A study of Northern Irish children and parents confirmed that secure emotional family relations predicted low levels of psychological distress despite prolonged and severe sectarian and political violence (Cummings et al, 2011).…”

The Legacy of Conflict – Regional Deprivation and School Performance in Northern Ireland

“…In the specic case of Northern Ireland, the authors are aware only of the studies of Shuttleworth (1995); Shuttleworth and Daly (1997) and Cummings et al (2011). Cummings et al (2011) look at the relationship between violence and children's adjustment problems, which can easily be extrapolated to our question, whilst the others look at the direct impact of violence on those who were exposed to it.…”

“…Cummings et al (2011) look at the relationship between violence and children's adjustment problems, which can easily be extrapolated to our question, whilst the others look at the direct impact of violence on those who were exposed to it. To our best knowledge, this is the rst paper to explore the role of multiple deprivation on primary school level outcomes, and certainly the rst to do so in post-conict Northern Ireland.…”