Browsing by Author "Short, Sotirios"

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    Exposure to violence and interpersonal conflict resolution tactics displayed among a group of high school learners in the Stellenbosch District
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2006-04) Short, Sotirios; Theron, W. H.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The consequences of violence on South African youth are of major concern for the country's future. The purpose of.this research was to study adolescents from disadvantaged communities' exposure to violence and their use of conflict resolution tactics. The role of gender in mediating the type and the setting of violence exposure and conflict resolution tactics is also investigated. The sample consisted of 426 adolescent learners from three schools in the Stellenbosch district. The questionnaire comprised of the Screen for. Adolescent Violence Exposure (SA VE) (Hastings & Kelley, 1997) and the Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS) (Straus, 1979), which were administered to 187 male and 239 female adolescents with a mean age of 15.9 years. The sample reported. being exposed to moderately high levels of indirect violence in the community. This exposure to violence was significantly correlated with their use of aggressive and violent conflict resolution tactics. Significant negative correlations were found between exposure to violence at school and reasoning tactics. Results from the Analyses of Variance indicated that males were more exposed to traumatic violence at school and in the community, while females were exposed to more physical/verbal abuse at home. Gender differences further showed that males displayed stronger positive correlations between exposure to indirect violence, especially in the community, and verbal aggression. Females displayed stronger positive correlations between exposure to traumatic violence and physical/verbal abuse, especially at home, and the use of violent conflict resolution tactics. The study shows that adolescents exposed to high levels of violence are more likely to display aggressive and violent conflict resolution tactics. Gender differences for the high exposure group showed that males displayed stronger positive correlations between exposure to Indirect violence especially in the community and the use of aggressive. and violent conflict resolution tactics. Females displayed stronger positive correlations between exposure to traumatic violence and physical/verbal abuse and violent conflict resolution tactics, especially at home. It is suggested that interventions and programmes for adolescents be implemented that address more prosocial skills for resolving conflict.