Exposure to violence, coping resources, and psychological adjustment of South African children

Key Points

• To assess how exposure to violence affects the psychological adjustment of South African children.
• Examined 625 six-year-old black South African children
• Analyzed both direct and vicarious exposure to political, family, and community violence
• Evaluated maternal coping and family relationships as coping resources.
• Community violence was significantly related to negative psychosocial outcomes.
• Child resilience, maternal coping, and positive family relationships helped reduce adverse effects.
• These resources mitigated impacts across all assessed functioning areas.