Exposure to violence across multiple contexts and health risk behaviours in South African adolescents: the moderating role of emotion dysregulation

Abstract

Objective: The association between violence exposure and health risk behaviours in South African adolescents, and the moderating role of emotion dysregulation were investigated. Design: A multiethnic sample of adolescents (N ¼ 925: boy: 47.3%, girl: 52.7%, M age ¼ 16 years, SD ¼ 1.54) completed a survey. Main outcome measures: Violence exposure across different contexts (home-, school-, community-, political victimisation), emotion dysregulation (inability to regulate sadness and anger) and a composite measure of health risk behaviours (smoking, substance use, risky sexual behaviour) were examined. Results: Boys reported more risk behaviours than girls, t (844) ¼ 5.25, p < 0.001. Direct community victimisation was a predictor for boys' risk behaviours, B ¼ 0.22, p < 0.001. Indirect school victimisation and direct community victimisation were predictors for girls' risk behaviours, B's ¼ 0.19, p's < 0.01. Girls reported higher emotion dysregulation than boys, t (748) ¼ À2.95, p < 0.01. Only for girls, emotion dysregulation moderated the associations of indirect home victimisation, B ¼ 16, p < 0.01, and direct community victimisation, B ¼ 15, p < 0.05, with risk behaviours. Conclusion: Interventions may target emotion regulation skills, particularly for girls, to enhance resilience to the negative effects of violence on behaviours.

Developmental Assets in South African Adolescents Exposed to Violence: a Qualitative Study on Resilience

“…They also reported that they had competencies to reflect on and regulate their negative emotions. These social and cognitive skills serve as buffers to the negative impact of violence exposure and have been reported in other studies (e.g., Aitcheson et al 2017;Holmes et al 2015;Kliewer et al 2004;Sui et al 2019). The internal assets reflect individuals' competencies, skills, and self-perceptions, which play an important role to help adolescents cope with stress and promote adaptive psychosocial functioning (Scales et al 2000).…”

“…Therefore, this study explored the factors that positively influenced resilience in a group of South African adolescents who had direct or indirect violence exposure. The findings suggest that both personal protective factors (internal assets) and environmental protective factors (external assets) may help adolescents adaptively cope with violence exposure and achieve resilient developmental outcomes, such as better psychological functioning and lower risk for smoking, substance use and aggressive behaviours (Sui et al 2018(Sui et al , 2019.…”

“…Violence is inherently stressful and may produce heightened and persistent emotional arousal, hypervigilance, and concentration problems (Mrug et al 2008;Sui et al 2019). These emotional and cognitive difficulties may further interfere with healthy functioning in other adaptation domains such as self-regulationthe ability to control one's attention, emotions, and behaviours (Masten and Coatsworth 1998).…”

“…As a result of this disrupted process of normative stress adaptation, adolescents can experience difficulties in utilising their strengths and resources to cope successfully with violence exposure, and subsequently experience psychological and behaviour problems (Heinze et al 2017;Mrug et al 2008). For example, violence can interfere with the capacity to regulate emotions of sadness and anger (Kliewer et al 2004(Kliewer et al , 2017Sui et al 2019). It can also dampen one's goals and aspirations, and elicit feelings of hopelessness through the perception that there are few pathways for recovery and progress in life (Bonanno et al 2007).…”

Violence in South African adolescents

“…Formal dwelling type refers to a brick house or an apartment/flat; informal dwelling type refers to a shack, hut, house made of mud and stick, or house made of mud bricks and thatch. Sui, X., Massar, K., Kessels, L. T.,Reddy, P. S., Ruiter, R. A., & Sanders-Phillips, K. (2020).Exposure to violence across multiple contexts and health risk behaviours in South African adolescents: the moderating role of emotion dysregulation.Psychology & Health, 35(2), 144-162.…”