Citation

Merrilees CE, Cairns E, Goeke-Morey MC, Schermerhorn AC, Shirlow P, Cummings EM. J. Community Psychol. 2011; 39(1): 60-75.

Affiliation

University of Notre Dame.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/jcop.20417

PMID

21686048

PMCID

PMC3114630

Abstract

Relatively little research has examined the relations between growing up in a community with a history of protracted violent political conflict and subsequent generations' well-being. The current article examines relations between mothers' self-report of the impact that the historical political violence in Northern Ireland (known as the Troubles) has on her and her child's current mental health. These relations are framed within the social identity model of stress, which provides a framework for understanding coping responses within societies that have experienced intergroup conflict. Mother-child dyads (N = 695) living in Belfast completed interviews. Results suggest that the mother-reported impact of the Troubles continue to be associated with mothers' mental health, which, in turn, is associated with her child's adjustment. The strength of mothers' social identity moderated pathways between the impact of the Troubles and her mental health, consistent with the social identity model of stress.

Language: en