Psychological consequences of collective violence in childhoodthe case of Monterrey, Mexico
- Quiroga Garza, Angélica
- Willis Sánchez, Guillermo Byrd
- López Rodríguez, Lucía
- Moreno, Alejandro
ISSN: 0210-9395, 1579-3699
Year of publication: 2015
Volume: 36
Issue: 2
Pages: 294-315
Type: Article
More publications in: Estudios de Psicología = Studies in Psychology
Abstract
During the last years, different types of violence have severely damaged Mexico. In this paper we examine the consequences that violence could have in children, one of the most vulnerable segments of society. In short, we predict that exposure to any type of violence will lead to higher depression and that this could be explained through the effects of violence on childhood well-being. Our hypothesis was supported in two studies, showing that exposure to street violence (Study 1, N = 607) and exposure to collective violence (Study 2, N = 172) can increase childhood depression. Moreover, in both studies, this effect was explained by the decrease of childhood well-being caused by violence exposure. The implications of these results are discussed