Experiences of Community Violence Among Adolescents in Indonesia

Violence has been widely acknowledged as a severe infringement of human rights and a global public health concern, with profound implications for individuals’ well-being and socioeconomic status. Scholars have illustrated that growing up amid societal violence significantly affects adolescents’ social, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive development. This research aimed to explore the prevalence of community violence and its correlated factors among adolescents in Makassar, Indonesia, utilizing a standardized questionnaire. The study took a cross-sectional approach and was conducted in Makassar, Indonesia. Three out of 15 districts were purposively selected. Researchers recruited 345 adolescents aged 15 to 19 through multi-stage sampling methods. Their encounters with community violence were evaluated through self-reports, assessing their perceptions of aggressive behavior, problematic behaviors, and exposure to community violence, encompassing self-victimization, witnessing violence, and hearing about it. The majority of the participants were female (57.9%), with an average age of 16 years. 17% of participants had a history of drug abuse. The findings disclosed that 62% of participants had encountered direct victimization, while 56.2% and 51.9% had observed and heard about violence in their community, respectively. Associations were identified amongst their grade level, living arrangements, maternal education and occupation, perceptions of problematic behavior, pro-social fantasies, and a history of drug abuse in relation to exposure to community violence. The study provided valuable insights into measuring exposure to community violence and its associated factors. Based on these findings, the research suggested preventive measures and intervention recommendations, and emphasizing adolescent- survivor-centered approaches.