Brian K. Barber

Adolescents and war: How youth deal with political violence.

Brian K. Barber — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 11:20:27 PDT

Hundreds of thousands of children are forced or legally recruited combatants in no fewer than 70 warring parties across the world. In addition to these child soldiers, thousands of youth voluntarily participate in politically related conflict. Why, how, and in what capacities are such large numbers of teenagers involved in war and how are they affected? Adolescents and War brings together world experts in an evidence-based volume to thoroughly understand and document the intricacies of youth who have had substantial involvement in political violence. Contributors argue that the assumption that youth are automatically debilitated by the violence they experience is much too simplistic: effective care for youth must include an awareness of their motives and beliefs, the roles they played in the conflict, their relationships with others, and the opportunities available to them after their experiences with war. The book suggests that the meaning youth make of a conflict may protect them from mental harm. For example, Palestinian teens who were actively engaged in the first Intifada have fared better than Bosnian teens who were virtual sitting ducks to the sniper and grenade launches of the hidden forces during the siege of Sarajevo. Covering youth involvement in conflicts in Afghanistan, Angola, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Northern Ireland, Israel/Palestine, and Bosnia, the volume will be of interest to psychologists, sociologists, and political scientists and should be adopted for courses in social psychology, crisis intervention, and international conflict.

The shifting complex of identity: Issues of individual and contextual change informing the narrative identities of conflict youth: Commentary on Hammack

Brian K. Barber — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 11:17:56 PDT

DOI:10.1159/000320046

Feeling disrespected by parents: Refining the measurement and understanding of psychological control

Brian K. Barber et al. — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 11:15:24 PDT

This study investigated parental psychological control of adolescents when construed as disrespect of individuality. First, 120 adolescents from 5 cultures were interviewed and asked to identify specific parental behaviors that communicated to them that they were disrespected as individuals. The interview data were coded and 8 new survey items were constructed to reflect key content. These items were then administered to 2100 adolescents in the same cultures along with a traditional measure of psychological control (PCS). Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that model fit was better when the two scales were kept separate, across culture and sex of parent. In structural equation models, the new scale – labeled Psychological Control – Disrespect – accounted for all and more of the variance in youth depression and antisocial behavior than the PCS did. The discussion centers on the validation the study makes of the construct and offers several suggestions for future research.

Disentangling fathering and mothering: The role of youth personality

H E. Stolz et al. — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 13:00:47 PDT

Contrasting portraits of war: Youths' varied experiences with political violence in Bosnia and Palestine

Brian K. Barber — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 12:49:39 PDT