SIP IN ISRAEL

Social Information Processing and Exposure to Political Violence: Relations to Maladaptive Behavior in Preschool Children

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The project proposed here aims to expand our understanding of the origins of maladjusted behaviors in children exposed to political violence by examining the complex set of links among levels of exposure to political violence, Social Information Processing patterns, and disruptive behavior in preschool children in Israel. Exposure to political violence refers here to constant and unpredictable exposure to rocket attacks which are the result of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict; Social Information Processing (SIP) refers to the internal representational processes that guide social behavior; finally, disruptive behaviors refer to the externalizing and internalizing symptoms of preschool children. To the best of our knowledge, this will be the first time that SIP is investigated in children exposed to political violence. The following hypotheses will be tested in this study: a) more exposure to both political violence and to violence at the home will be related to less adaptive SIP patterns. However, it is expected that because of the differences between the two types of exposure, the distortion in SIP patterns may be exhibited in different processes (i.e., SIP steps); b) less adaptive SIP patterns will be related to higher externalizing and internalizing problems; c) SIP will mediate the link between violence exposure and preschool children’s externalizing and internalizing behaviors; and d) the quality of the mother-child relationship and the parents' psychological functioning will have a moderating affect on the complex set of links between exposure to political violence, SIP, and problem behavior. In other words, the relationships between exposure and SIP and problem behavior will be weaker in families characterized with higher dyadic emotional availability and in families where parents report of lower levels of psychological symptoms.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Children exposed to political violence exhibit maladaptive behaviours. The EU-funded project SIP IN ISRAEL project adopted a practical and theoretical approach to the origins of these behaviours and their links.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Beginning in 2010, the work involved 229 children. The group included those who were living in the geographical area exposed to violence and children living in a comparable area. This means the latter was similar in socioeconomic status but without a presence of violence. Another sector included children who were exposed to violence in the home.

Interviews were conducted twice with all children. Socio-demographic information of the family was provided by parents as they and preschool teachers completed questionnaires. The analysis showed that the effects of exposure to political violence on social perception and behaviours were exhibited in children who had a low-quality relationship with the mother. Additionally, children who are exposed to violence at home do worse than those from normative homes found in politically tense locations.

Results are useful for their influence on psychological theories as well as their potential to advance understanding of the psychological sources of political conflicts. This will further assist intervention and prevention programmes that help children cope with the stresses of war and violence.