Children's and Adolescents' Response to the Prospect of Nuclear War: A Review

Boyd, Brenda J.; Wallinga, Charlotte; Skeen, Patsy; Paguio, Ligaya P.

doi:10.1177/016502549401700408

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Following the Second World War and the advent of the "Cold War", the threat of nuclear war was a constant worry for many children and adolescents (for a review see Boyd, Wallinga, Skeen and Paguio, 1994). The first study regarding this subject dates back to 1947 (Remmers, Gage, Hobson and Shimberg, 1947).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Norwegian Adolescents' Reactions to Distant Warfare

Dyregrov

Raundalen

2005

Behav. Cogn. Psychother.

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A total of 1695 Norwegian adolescents answered a questionnaire concerning how they perceived and reacted to the threat of war during the 1999 Kosovo war and the 2003 Iraq war. Based on previous research and clinical experience the following hypotheses were formed: a) The Kosovo war, being in closer proximity to Norway, will result in more reactions than the Iraq war; b) There will be more communication between adolescents and adults following the Iraq war than following the Kosovo war, due to education by psychologists via the media in the intervening period; c) Girls will evidence more reactions than boys, in line with previous work; d) Adolescents who score above cut-off on the Impact of Event Scale will report less communication with friends and parents, in line with psychosocial theories of posttraumatic stress and previous empirical findings. The first three hypotheses were generally supported, but findings regarding hypothesis (d) were mixed. It is believed that a more open communicative climate has developed in families and schools following increased attention by professionals and media to the coverage of wars and disasters in the media. Mild reactions to the two wars suggest adolescent resilience. Professionals can play an important role in disseminating information on how such events can be handled by parents, professionals and society at large.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Norwegian Adolescents' Reactions to Distant Warfare

Dyregrov

Raundalen

2005

Behav. Cogn. Psychother.

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“…One of the most influential studies was conducted by Goldenring and Doctor (1986;Doctor, Goldenring, & Powell, 1987). Recent comprehensive reviews of research on fear of the prospect of war are provided by Boyd, Wallinga, Skeen, and Paguio (1994) and by Solantaus (1991).…”

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confidence: 99%

Fear of war: Relations to values, gender, and mental health in Germany and Israel.

Boehnke¹,

Schwartz²

1997

Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology

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We examine the extent to which fear of conventional and of nuclear war are related to value priorities in samples of German and Israeli university students. Value priorities are postulated to influence the appraisal of threat. As hypothesized, fear of war is greater among those who attribute greater importance to values that express concern for others-universalism and benevolence, and to values that emphasize preservation of the social order-security and conformity. In Israel, fear of nuclear war is also greater among those who attribute greater importance to values that legitimate self-enhancement-power and achievement. Fear of war is greater among women than among men, a finding attributable both to stereotypic response bias and to role socialization. Fear of war is not related to a variety of indicators of mental health.Fear of war has long been on the agenda of psychological peace research. Miiller-Brettel(1993) comprehensively reviewed the work in the field from 1900 to 1991. Most research concerned the effects of war on children, although studies of adolescents and of young adults were conducted as well. Early research was Requests for reprints should be sent to Klaus Boehnke,

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“…The threat of nuclear war has become a symbol for the stresses and problems of living in the modern age that are often complex, insidious, and over which the average citizen often feels little control. The threat of war, including nuclear war, continues to be a major source of worry for youth and adolescents (Boyd, Wallinga, Skeen, & Paguio, 1994; Gillies, 1989). Worry over nuclear war, however, recedes with age and by adulthood most people do not spend too much time worrying about the threat of nuclear war (Fiske, 1987; Hamilton, Lynch, Naginey, Peters, & Piske, 1989; Kramer, Kalick, & Milburn, 1983).…”

Section: Disarmament Activismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nuclear weapons concerns, agency beliefs, and social responsibility values in disarmament activism.

Horváth¹

1996

Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology

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This study examined the roles of attitudes and beliefs in determining disarmament activism. It investigated the contributions of nuclear weapons concerns, perceptions of control, and social responsibility values to the determination of antinuclear activism beyond the effects of attitudes and attitude strength. It was found that concerns about the danger of nuclear weapons, perceptions of personal control, and social responsibility values accounted for a larger proportion of the variance of antinuclear activism than antinuclear attitudes and attitude strength combined. The findings were discussed in terms of the nature of attitudes and beliefs and the relevance of these factors to involvement in peace and other social issues in a global community.This study investigates the contributions of concerns with nuclear weapons, personal control beliefs, and social responsibility values to the determination of antinuclear activism beyond the effects of attitudes and attitude strength. It is proposed that global problems, such as the threat of nuclear war, are more likely to evoke a coping response in the individual to reduce the threat if they arouse both personal concerns as well as appeal to social values. In an increasingly interconnected world, motivation for disarmament activism can be expected to continue to be based on both personal concerns and social values. The principles examined in this study are likely to operate for other large social issues as well, such as the desire for global peace and the prevention of environmental destruction and world hunger. These problems are often daunting for the individual to tackle, yet some do despite the magnitude of the challenge. It is important to find out why they do so.

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Children's and Adolescents' Response to the Prospect of Nuclear War: A Review

Cited by 8 publications

References 37 publications

Norwegian Adolescents' Reactions to Distant Warfare

Norwegian Adolescents' Reactions to Distant Warfare

Fear of war: Relations to values, gender, and mental health in Germany and Israel.

Nuclear weapons concerns, agency beliefs, and social responsibility values in disarmament activism.

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