Political Violence, Armed Conflict, and Youth Adjustment: A Worldwide Perspective

  • E. Mark Cummings
  • Christine E. Merrilees
  • Laura K. Taylor
  • Christina F. Mondi
Chapter
First Online:

Abstract

This chapter introduces the extent, significance, and urgency of the worldwide problem posed by youth exposure to political violence and armed conflict, and the promise of research informed by a developmental psychopathology perspective for advancing both theoretical understanding and more effective prevention and intervention. Notably, over one billion children under the age of 18 are growing up in contexts of political violence and armed conflict worldwide. A developmental psychopathology perspective provides cogent bases for the development of well-delineated theoretical and methodological approaches for conceptual understanding of the impact of armed conflict and political violence on youth, including the consideration of developmental and social-ecological contexts, and advocacy of longitudinal research. Building on the cumulative evidence for the risk of negative outcomes in youth, a developmental psychopathology perspective provides foundations for advancing understanding of (a) causal processes, (b) understanding of the impact of the many levels of youth’s social ecologies (e.g., home and community), and (c) translational research, that is, implementation of research findings in the development of more effective evidence-based intervention programs. In this book, developmental psychopathology is developed as a valuable and cogent guiding model for future advances in scientific and applied directions.

Keywords

Developmental psychopathology Armed conflict Political violence Social-ecological model Developmental contexts Longitudinal research Translational research 
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Copyright information

© Springer International Publishing AG 2017

Authors and Affiliations

  • E. Mark Cummings
    • 1
  • Christine E. Merrilees
    • 2
  • Laura K. Taylor
    • 3
  • Christina F. Mondi
    • 4
  1. 1.Department of PsychologyUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameUSA
  2. 2.Department of PsychologyState University of New York at GeneseoGeneseoUSA
  3. 3.School of PsychologyQueens University BelfastBelfastUK
  4. 4.Institute of Child DevelopmentUniversity of MinnesotaMinneapolisUSA

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