Understanding the impact of political violence on child maladjustment is a matter of international concern. Recent research has advanced a social ecological explanation for relations between political violence and child adjustment. However, conclusions are qualified by the lack of longitudinal tests. Toward examining pathways longitudinally,…

Interviews of 120 British adolescents and their parents (80% of a random sample of antenatal patients drawn from a representative urban population and followed longitudinally) revealed that 40 (33%) had been arrested and/or had a diagnosis of "DSM-IV" conduct disorder by 16 years of age; of those, 18 (45%) had committed violent acts.…

The social behavior and peer status of 87 physically abused and 87 nonmaltreated 8- to 12-year-old children were compared. Found that abused children had lower peer status, were rated by peers as more aggressive and by parents and teachers as more disturbed, and exhibited more insular social networks than nonmaltreated children. (MDM)

Investigated relations between interest in violent fantasy at age 4 years and children's social understanding, behavior, and interactions with friends 2 years later. Found that "hard-to-manage" children showed higher rates of violent fantasy. Across both groups, violent fantasy was related to later poor executive control and language…