Social support, violence exposure and mental health among young South African adolescents

Abstract

Objective: Cumulative violence exposure has been associated with both internalising and externalising difficulties in youth. Therefore, it is important to identify protective factors that may ameliorate both exposure to and the impact of cumulative violence. This study aimed to identify sources of perceived social support amongst early adolescents in a low-income, high-violence community in South Africa, and to examine the association of perceived support with exposure to violence and with the severity of depression, aggression and conduct disorder symptoms.

Method: A sample of 615 Grade 7 learners completed measures of perceived social support, different types of violence exposure and symptoms of depression, aggression and conduct disorder.

Results: Maternal, paternal and overall family support were weakly associated with a reduced risk of domestic violence, but not with other forms of violence exposure, and were also weakly associated with a reduced risk of mental health difficulties. Peer support was associated with higher symptomatology across all mental health outcomes while teacher support was associated with greater severity of depression.

Conclusions: The stress-buffering effects of social support may not be maintained in contexts of high exposure to violence. Implications for interventions to enhance youth safety and resilience in high-violence contexts are considered.