The role of violence perpetration in driving externalizing problems and offending behavior among youth from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Dumke, Lars; Haer, Roos; Zawadka, Annika; Salmen, Charlotte; Hecker, Tobias

doi:10.1002/jts.22871

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 53 publications

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“…by duration, number of types, and intrusiveness (Coohey, 2010 ), and to associate severity grades with health outcomes. Person-centered approaches acknowledge that trauma exposure is not randomly distributed within a population and enable the identification of subgroups that share similar qualitative and quantitative patterns of trauma exposure (Dumke et al, 2022 ; O'Donnell et al, 2017 ). Thereby, the impact of group membership on various health parameters can be analyzed and generalizability can be increased (O'Donnell et al, 2017 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual violence affects adolescents’ health and prosocial behaviour beyond other violence exposure

Doerr,

Hoeffler,

Goessmann

et al. 2023

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

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Background: Sexual violence is a public health issue among adolescents globally but remains understudied in Sub-Saharan Africa. Objective: The present study focused on the association of cumulative exposure to different types of sexual violence with mental and physical health problems and prosocial behaviour. Method: We conducted a survey with a regionally representative sample of both in-school and out-of-school adolescents, aged 13–17 years, living in south-western Nigeria. Self-reported exposure to sexual violence, behavioural problems, physical complaints, and prosocial behaviour were assessed. Results: About three quarters of the participants reported the experience of sexual violence (74.6%). Multiple regression models revealed that the more types of sexual violence an individual reported, the more mental and physical health problems, and the fewer prosocial behaviours they reported when controlling for other forms of violence exposure. Latent class analysis revealed three severity classes of sexual violence. Symptoms of mental and physical health indicators were significantly higher as exposure increased by group whereas prosocial behaviours were non-significantly fewer in the opposite direction. Conclusion: This study revealed a consistent and unique relation between sexual violence exposure and negative health outcomes among adolescents. Further research on sexual violence in Sub-Saharan Africa and its associations is needed.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual violence affects adolescents’ health and prosocial behaviour beyond other violence exposure

Doerr,

Hoeffler,

Goessmann

et al. 2023

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Positive and negative effects of child’s agency on trauma symptoms and psychological difficulties in war-like conditions. The mediating role of hope and life satisfaction

Veronese,

Mahamid,

Obaid

et al. 2024

Journal of Mental Health

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Close relationships with caregivers as protective factor for the mental health and functioning of war-affected Congolese youth

Scharpf,

Haer,

Hecker

2024

Confl Health

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Background Supportive social connections are a crucial determinant of the mental health and adjustment of youth in conflict-torn regions. Conflict-affected youth face particular risks to their well-being due to high levels of trauma exposure and perpetration of violent acts as members of armed groups and post-conflict discrimination. However, little is known about the possible protective role of close relationships with caregivers in the aftermath of trauma. This study examined whether a higher perceived quality of relationships with caregivers would attenuate the associations between exposure to traumatic experiences and four indicators of adjustment (posttraumatic stress symptoms [PTSS], emotional problems, behavioural problems, criminal behaviour) in a sample of 268 war-affected youth (61.2% male, Mage = 16.31 years) living in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo. More than half of the present sample (56.7%) were former members of armed groups. Methods Data were collected using quantitative structured interviews and analyzed through regression models using the PROCESS macro. Results Higher cumulative trauma exposure was significantly related to higher levels of PTSS and emotional problems, while more frequent perpetration of war-related violence was significantly related to higher levels of PTSS, behavioural problems, and criminal behavior. The perceived quality of relationships with caregivers significantly moderated the associations between youth’s cumulative trauma exposure and all four outcomes. At higher perceived quality of relationships with caregivers, the associations between trauma exposure and emotional problems, behavioural problems, and criminal behaviour were no longer significant and the association with PTSS was significantly weakened. Higher perceived quality of relationships with caregivers was also directly significantly related to lower levels of mental health problems and criminal behaviour. Conclusions The findings suggest that interventions that focus on strengthening relationships with caregivers are crucial for supporting the mental health and functioning of youth who experienced and perpetrated war-related violence.

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The role of violence perpetration in driving externalizing problems and offending behavior among youth from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Cited by 3 publications

References 53 publications

Sexual violence affects adolescents’ health and prosocial behaviour beyond other violence exposure

Sexual violence affects adolescents’ health and prosocial behaviour beyond other violence exposure

Positive and negative effects of child’s agency on trauma symptoms and psychological difficulties in war-like conditions. The mediating role of hope and life satisfaction

Close relationships with caregivers as protective factor for the mental health and functioning of war-affected Congolese youth

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