The relationship between exposure to community violence and the development of depression in children between the ages of 11-12

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between exposure to community violence and the development of depression in children, as well as to explore the impact of variables like perceived competence and social support on this relationship. Samples were drawn from the highest and lowest violence communities in the Western Cape, respectively. Data for identifying these communities was obtained from the South African Police head-office. It should also be noted that this study was done during a time when a moratorium was placed on statistics regarding crime and violence. As such the highest and lowest violence communities were identified based on 1999 statistics, which at the time were the latest statistics available to the public. The sample was composed of 300 children between the ages of 11 -12 years, with 150 coming from the highest and 150 coming from the lowest violence areas in Cape Town. A quantitative methodology was used and the data was analysed using multi-variate two groups tests. The instruments used in the study included a demographic questionnaire, the Children's' Depression Inventory, Perceived Competence Scale and the Social Support Scale. These scales were completed as a self-report inventory and they were administered to 12 groups of 25 children. Findings obtained from this study revealed that there was no significant difference in levels of depression between children exposed to high or low levels of community violence. In addition it was showed that children from the low violence school experienced signiffcantly higher levels of social support while children from the high violence school perceived themselves as significantly more socially competent, more physically competent and experienced higher levels of self-worth in comparison to children from low violence communities. The role of perceived competence was thus significant in moderating the effects of violence in terms of depression for the children who attended the high violence school. Demographic variables such as age, gender, language and parent's marital status, were found to have a significant impact on the relationship between the identified variables