Psychological Perspectives on Understanding and Addressing Violence Against Children

Violence against children is one of the most significant, widespread, and preventable threats to human development in our world today. Children are the future of our society and understanding and addressing violence against children is critical to building cultures and systems that promote a just and sustainable peace. This edited volume aims to provide an integrative review of psychological research on violence against children from a global perspective. Drawing from frameworks in both psychology and peace studies, contributors focus on the psychological research across global settings to illustrate the nature and effects of violence against children in various settings and examine recommendations for prevention, practice, and policy.

Dr. Scott Moeschberger is a Professor of Global Studies at Taylor University, where he launched an interdisciplinary problem-based major focused on vulnerable children. He has served as a President of Division 48 (Society for Peace Psychology) in the American Psychological Association. His early research focused on contact, empathy and forgiveness in divided societies, and evolved to include the role of divisive symbols, culminating in an edited book Symbols that Unite; Symbols That Divide. He teaches a wide variety of courses, including "Working with Orphaned and Vulnerable Children", "Peace Psychology", and "Violence Against Children".
Dr. Laura Miller-Graff is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. She is a clinical psychologist, with experience in both research and practice with children and families exposed to violence. Her research examines the developmental and intergenerational effects of exposure to violence. Working within an ecological framework, Dr. Miller-Graff's research seeks to understand how various systems (i.e., individual, family, and community) interact to promote or inhibit healthful development following violence exposure. Dr. Miller-Graff's program of research also focuses on the development and evaluation of psychological supports for violence-exposed children and families.

Preface
Chapter 1 Introduction: Psychological Perspectives on Violence Against Children - Pressing Global Questions for Research and Policy
Laura Miller-Graff, Catherine Maloney, Scott Moeschberger
Section I: Violence against Children in Social Macrosystems
Chapter 2 Sociopolitical Violence and Child Development: New Directions Informed by Longitudinal, Process-Oriented Research in Northern Ireland
Mark Cummings, Bethany Wentz, Michelle Lee
Chapter 3 The Psychosocial and Political Dynamics of Children and Youth Entering and Exiting Armed Groups
Gabriel Velez, Fabio Idrobo, Programa Educapaz, La Fundacion para la Reconciliacion
Chapter 4 Peace Across Cultures: Understanding Children's Traumatic Migration Experience and Pathways of Healing
Amy Marks, Regina Roberg, Rose Luhers, Cynthia Garcia Coll
Chapter 5 Resilience to Structural Violence: Learning from African Adolescents
Linda Theron, Sadiyya Haffeejee, Michael Ungar
Chapter 6 The Impact of Racism on Violence Exposure Among Black Children in the United States
Donte Bernard, Henry Willis, Effua Sosoo
Section II: Violence against Children in Social Microsystems
Chapter 7 Child Sex and Labor Trafficking: Psychological Perspectives on Risk Factors, Impacts, and Interventions
Kelly Kinnish, Shannon Self-Brown, Katherine Reuben, Kathryn O'Hara, Elizabeth Perry
Chapter 8 Global Perspectives on Family Violence: Prevalence and Effects on Children across Cultural Contexts
Kathryn Howell, Taylor Napier, Kari Thomsen, Cecilia Martinez Torteya, Asa Kallstrom
Chapter 9 Navigating Violent Spaces: Violence Against Children in Alternative Care
Scott Moeschberger, BreeAnna Bailey
Chapter 10 Understanding Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Girls: Structural and Episodic Violence in the Urban Slums of Mombasa
Michael Wessels, Kathleen Kostelny, Ken Ondoro
Section III: Practice and Policy to Redress Violence against Children
Chapter 11 Teacher Violence - A Global Perspective on Prevalence, Consequences, and Prevention
Tobias Hecker, Faustine Bwire Masath, Joseph Ssenyonga, Mabula Nkuba, Katharin Hermenau
Chapter 12 Education in Crisis: Exploring the Effectiveness of Accelerated Education Programs in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania
Neil Boothby, Abigail Mills, Ygal Sharon, Shukran Salvatory
Chapter 13 Addressing Violence Against Children in Low-Resource and Humanitarian Settings: Potential of Family-Based Approaches
Eve Puffer, Savannah Johnson, Amanda Sim
Chapter 14 Formal and Informal Social Control of Family Violence: A Comparison of Protective and Punitive Approaches with Respect to Family Heterogeneity
Clifton Emery, Alhassan Abdullah
Chapter 15 Building Resilience among Refugee Youth in Lebanon: Comparing Delivery Modes of a Digital Mental Health Game
Dana Townsend, Solfrid Raknes, Mahmoud Hammoud
Conclusions
Chapter 16 Preventing and Responding to Violence Against Children: Implications for Researchers, Practitioners and Policymakers
Laura Miller-Graff, Catherine Maloney, Scott Moeschberger