Exploring the effects of political violence examining the function of identity for youth in two conflict zones

Adolescent exposure to political conflict is inevitable in today's world. The dynamics of these conflicts are highly variable, as are the roles of adolescents within them. In addition, adolescents are experiencing developmental processes, notably identity formation from both internal and external perspectives. The purpose of this study was to examine adolescents in two divergent conflict environments (Palestinian and Bosnian) and to evaluate the impact of exposure and identity on psychosocial outcomes, as well as the impact of exposure on identity itself. Results show that the association between identity and negative psychosocial outcomes was positive, as hypothesized, and the same across both groups. Also, as predicted, the correlation between identity and negative psychosocial outcomes was negative and the same across both groups. Of most interest, however, the correlation between exposure to conflict and identity was positive for Palestinians and negative for Bosnians as hypothesized based on study of the varying conditions of conflict these two groups experienced. Thus, higher conflict exposure was associated with higher identity formation for Palestinian youths, while higher conflict exposure was associated with lower identity formation for Bosnian youths.