Child exposure to violence and self-regulation in South African preschool-age children from low-income settings

• Published in: Child abuse & neglect 2022-12, Vol.134, p.105944-105944, Article 105944
• Main Authors: Cook, Caylee J., Howard, Steven J., Cuartas, Jorge, Makaula, Hleliwe, Merkley, Rebecca, Mshudulu, Mbulelo, Tshetu, Nosibusiso, Scerif, Gaia, Draper, Catherine E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Child; Child poverty; Child Rearing; Child, Preschool; Childhood; Childrearing practices; Coercion; Community; Corporal punishment; Early childhood education; Exposure to Violence - psychology; Family conflict; Family relations; Female; Households; Humans; Low Income; Low income groups; Male; Maternal depression; Parenting; Parenting - psychology; Parenting style; Parenting Styles; Parents; Parents & parenting; Poverty; Preschool; Preschool children; Psychosocial factors; Punishment; Regulation; Responsiveness; Self control; Self regulation; Social norms; South Africa - epidemiology; Stress; Violence; Violence - psychology; Young Children
• ISSN: 0145-2134; 1873-7757
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105944

Biological and psychosocial stressors that have been associated with income include family dynamics such as household chaos, family conflict, maternal depression, harsh parenting, lower parental responsiveness, and exposure to violence. Research from high income countries has shown that exposure to violence may have detrimental effects on children's self-regulation, with possible flow-on implications for broad later-life outcomes, but less is known about such links in low- and- middle income countries, where many children live in violent communities and households and where physical punishment remains the norm. This study aimed to investigate exposure to violence, in addition to coercive parenting, and its associations with self-regulation among 243 3- to 5-year-olds (M = 4.7 ± 0.6; 51.9 % female) from low-income settings in Cape Town and who were not attending Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE). Results showed that self-regulation was not associated with child exposure to community violence, but it was positively associated with coercive parenting (β = 0.17; p = 0.03). The null concurrent associations between exposure to violence and self-regulation suggest the need for additional research aimed at understanding later potential developmental sequelae. It is important that findings regarding coercive parenting are contextualised within local social norms around parenting styles, as well as the influence of living in dangerous communities on parenting practices. •South African children not attending ECCE settings are exposed to high levels of violence.•Our sample comprised 243 children aged 3- to 5-years from low-income settings in Cape Town•Exposure to violence were not associated with self-regulation.•Higher levels of coercive parenting associated with higher self-regulation score.