Children's experience and adjustment to political conflict in Northern Ireland.

Abstract

Despite the prolonged nature of political conflict in Northern Ireland, the extent of children's experience of such violence has rarely been investigated. This study examines school-age (8-11 years) children's (N = 689) self-reported experience of a number of negative life events, including a number of conflict-related events in relation to gender, age, socioeconomic status, and religious affiliation. These reports suggest that children's experience of conflict-related events is considerable. One quarter of the sample had witnessed shootings and street riots. Main and interaction effects were observed that related children's reported experiences to gender, religious affiliation, and socioeconomic background. The relationship between exposure to political conflict and children's perceived competence was also examined, while accounting for psychosocial factors that independently affect perceived competence. This analysis suggested that children reporting lower behavioural competence are more likely to repor...