Understanding the impact of political violence in childhood: A theoretical review using a social identity approach

The present paper reviews the literature that has assessed the psychological impact of political violence on children. Concern for those growing up in situations of political violence has resulted in two areas of research within psychology: the first considers children as victims of conflict and considers the mental health consequences of political violence. The second considers children as protagonists or aggressors in conflict and considers related moral and attitudinal consequences of exposure to political violence. These two literatures are most often considered separately. Here the two strands of research are brought together using a social identity framework, allowing apparently divergent findings to be integrated into a more coherent understanding of the totality of consequences for children and young people growing up in situations of armed conflict. •Social group are central to understanding exposure to political violence.•Political violence elicits both psychological distress and aggressive behavior.•The social identity approach can explain these apparently contrary clinical consequences.•This avoids unhelpful false dichotomies of victims and perpetrators.