Supportive Relationships in Children and Adolescents Facing Political Violence and Mass Disasters

AbstractPurpose of ReviewWe identify trends and gaps in the literature on the role of social support in the psychopathology and risky behavior of youths exposed to political violence and mass disasters. We also discuss the implications of recent research ’s findings and suggest directions for future research.Recent FindingsPolitical violence and natural disasters inflict serious blows to adolescents ’ mental and physical health and may have reverberating, negative impacts throughout the nested social systems in which youths develop. However, many adolescents are not adversely affected, suggesting the presence of resilience. While the beneficial effects of social support from close others are well documented, along with situations under which perceived support may even increase stress, the exact mechanisms behind social support’s protective effects have not been thoroughly studied. Different personality attributes and/or different concepts of the self may possibly contribute to—or ha rm—youths’ resilience.SummaryThere is considerable variability in research on adolescents ’ social support in the context of political violence and mass disasters, stressors that may erode social support. Thus, further investigation of social support’s protective effects via longitudinal studies is highly important.

Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - August 12, 2019 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research