Examining the prevalence and impact of violent trauma and children and young people

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Study level you are applying for: Postgraduate

Department for the Economy Northern Ireland (DFE) PhD Studentship: Young people and violent trauma. Title: Examining the prevalence and impact of violent trauma and children and young people. Supervisors: Dr Colm Walsh (SSESW) and Dr Lisa Bunting (SSESW). Context: Violence is a common occurrence in many young people's lives and can have a devastating impact. Research has shown that elevated exposure to violence can result in the onset and duration of clinically diagnosable mental health conditions, including post-traumatic stress. Untreated, these mental health conditions can also contribute to a range of social and behavioural challenges. Decades of research evidence has illustrated that an association exists between violent victimisation and violence perpetration-the fulcrum of which is psychological trauma. Despite this, estimates for exposure and impact of violence in the European context remains limited, and the nuanced role of psychological trauma is under-evaluated. Understanding and responding to violence, and the trauma that it often contributes to, is even more pressing in light of the international targets enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals (2030). This PhD will examine prevalence and impact of violent adversity in the lives of children and young people and situate the findings within the current policy context for violence prevention. The PhD will: (i) undertake a review of youth violence and mental health in conflict and non-conflict affected areas (ii) collate and analyse youth violence related data from an existing dataset/s (iii) engage with youth panels to ensure alignment with the research findings and capture young people's perspectives around mitigation.