Coordinator: Professor Madeleine Leonard

Ethno-political conflict is now considered one of the most important threats to global security and is a pressing social issue.  The expertise within QUB relating to the impact of political conflict on children receives considerable international attention. This research informs policy and practice in relation to child support and adjustment in contexts of political violence, terrorism and war.  Currently research in this area is concentrated in three areas.  These include issues related to segregation and division and their impact on the development of social identification and intergroup relations; research on the amelioration of conflict and political violence, especially through integrated education, contact schemes and diversity training; and the consequences of direct exposure to political violence on child and adolescent health and well being.