Browsing by Author "Van der Merwe, Amelia"

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    The relationship between exposure to community violence, social support, parenting attitudes and child behavioural adjustment
    (2001) Van der Merwe, Amelia; Dawes, Andrew
    The present study investigates the relationships between exposure to community violence, household demographic characteristics, social support , parenting attitudes and child/adolescent behavioural adjustment. Participants were drawn from two economically disadvantaged, high-violence neighbourhoods in the Western Cape. The total sample comprised 305 children aged between 9 and 16 years and their primary caregivers (N = 213) . Questionnaires were administered to children at primary and high schools . Caregivers were administered questionnaires in their homes by trained research assistants . Children completed the Survey of Exposure to Community Violence, the Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale and the Social Support Scale for children. Caregivers completed a demographic questionnaire, the South African Child Assessment Schedule, the Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory and the Social Support Questionnaire for caregivers. Analyses of variance and covariance, Pearson's Product-Moment correlations, and hierarchical multiple regression procedures were conducted to establish direct and indirect relationships between exposure to community violence, household demographic characteristics, social support, parenting attitudes and child/adolescent behavioural adjustment. The results of this study indicate strikingly few violence-related behavioural disturbances in children and adolescents . Other variables, particularly parenting attitudes and child social support were identified as the most important determinants of child and adolescent outcomes . The findings additionally indicate that parental social support mediates the relationship between parental attitudes and internalising symptoms in participating children and adolescents . The need to develop more complex and comprehensive models of community, parental and child factors contributing to child/adolescent outcomes in high-risk South African neighbourhood contexts is discussed.