Examining the Effect of Childhood Individual and Contextual Risk Factors on Violence Use and Experience at Early Adulthood (18-21 years)

针对儿童的暴力行为是一个影响全球约10亿儿童的人权和公共卫生问题（Hillis et al., 2016）。家庭和学校环境既塑造了儿童的暴力经历，也可能影响儿童的暴力经历对他们的影响。儿童的个体因素和环境是动态的，可能会塑造他们的暴力经历和影响（Rada, 2014; Rodrigues et al., 2022）。单亲家长、目睹暴力、父母的心理健康状况等家庭因素可能会影响成年早期的性暴力或身体暴力行为或受害（Rada, 2014）。随着时间的推移，上学可能会减少青少年时期接触暴力的机会，以及成年早期暴力的可能影响（Rada, 2014）。学校和家庭有望成为预防VAC的切入点。本研究旨在为探究W1和w2中暴力经历的变化及其与身体暴力和性暴力的关系提供证据；和成年早期的心理健康结果（W3）。目标1：检查与成年早期身体暴力和性暴力经历和使用相关的个体风险因素（W3）哪些个体因素（W1）与青春期晚期和成年早期身体暴力和性暴力使用和经历相关（W3）？目的2：确定青春期（11-14岁）暴力暴露与成年早期（18-21岁）暴力经历和使用之间的关系。在W1和W2的不同暴力暴露模式下的年轻人在身体暴力和性暴力经历（W3）和使用方面是否存在差异？青少年早期遭受的暴力严重程度是否与成年早期的身体暴力和性暴力使用和经历有关？3.青少年早期暴力暴露（W1）与成年早期暴力经历和使用（W3）之间的关系是否受青少年残疾状况和性别的影响？施暴者类型（W1和W2）与成年早期（W3）的暴力经历和使用之间是否存在关联？目标3：衡量家庭和学校环境对儿童成年后遭受暴力的影响1。家庭/学校环境如何影响青少年暴力经历与成年早期身体暴力和性暴力经历（W1）之间的联系？积极的家庭/学校环境对成年早期暴力的负面影响有保护作用吗？家庭/学校环境如何影响青春期暴力经历（W1）与成年早期心理健康结果（W3）之间的关联？研究者将使用COVAC数据集进行纵向数据分析，该数据集由3,431名青少年组成，分为三个时间点：2014年W1, 2018年W2和2021年W3。在W1招募了3820名青少年，其中90%接受随访。暴露应从W1和W2获得。应进行多变量建模，以衡量儿童接触暴力与成年早期的身体和性暴力使用和经历之间的关联。项目与MRC的战略和核心技能的一致性这个拟议的项目将直接有助于VAC项目的设计和政策讨论，特别是在使我们的学校、家庭和社区对乌干达的儿童更安全方面。这个项目将使我能够进行严谨而独立的暴力研究。它为我提供了一个获得概念化、分析和报告暴力使用和经验的技能的机会。通过经验丰富的研究人员的支持，我将建立一个支持网络，使我能够顺利完成博士学位，并探索研究合作的机会。我将从这个项目中获得的技能将有助于减少目前当地可用的专家数量的差距

Violence against children is a human rights and public health concern affecting an estimated 1 billion children globally (Hillis et al., 2016). Contexts at home and in school shape both children's experiences of violence and may also affect how children's experiences of violence affect them. Children's individual factors and contexts are dynamic and are likely to shape their experiences and impacts of violence (Rada, 2014; Rodrigues et al., 2022). Household factors like single-parent headed, witnessing violence, mental health status of parent are likely influence sexual violence or physical violence perpetration or victimization at early adulthood (Rada, 2014). School attendance over time is likely to reduce exposure to violence during adolescence and the likely effects of violence during early adulthood (Rada, 2014). Schools and households are promising entry points for VAC prevention. This study aims to generate evidence to explore changes in violence experiences over W1 & 2 and their associations with physical & sexual violence; and mental health outcomes at early adulthood (W3). Objective 1: To examine individual risk factors associated with physical and sexual violence experience and use at early adulthood (W3)What individual factors (W1) are associated with physical and sexual violence use & experience at late adolescence and early adulthood (W3)?Objective 2: To determine the associations between violence exposure during adolescence (11-14 years) and violence experience and use at early adulthood (18-21 years)1.Is there a difference in physical and sexual violence experience (W3) and use among young adults following different exposure patterns to violence at W1 & W2?2.Is the severity of violence experienced during early adolescence associated with physical and sexual violence use and experience at early adulthood? 3.Is the association between violence exposure at early adolescence (W1) and early adulthood (W3) violence experience and use affected by disability status and sex of the adolescent?4.Is there an association between type of perpetrator (W1 & W2) and experience and use of violence at early adulthood (W3)?Objective 3: To measure the influence of family and school contexts on the effect of childhood exposure to violence at adulthood1.How does family/school context affect the association between experience of violence at adolescence and experience (W1) and use of physical and sexual violence at early adulthood (W3)?2.Are positive family/school contexts protective against negative effects of violence at early adulthood?3.How does family/school context affect the association between experience of violence at adolescence (W1) and mental health outcomes at early adulthood (W3)?The researcher shall conduct longitudinal data analysis using the COVAC dataset which is comprised of 3,431 adolescents followed over 3 time points: W1 in 2014, W2 in 2018 and W3 in 2021. 3,820 adolescents were recruited at W1 & 90% accepted to be followed up. Exposure shall be obtained from W1 & W2. Multivariable modelling shall be conducted to measure the association between childhood exposure to violence and physical and sexual violence use and experience at early adulthood. Project alignment to the MRC's strategy and core skillsThis proposed project will directly contribute to VAC program design and policy discourse especially in making our schools, homes and communities safer for children in Uganda. The project will equip me to conduct rigorous & independent violence research.It provides an opportunity for me to acquire skills in conceptualization, analysis and reporting of violence use and experience. Through support from the experienced researchers, I will build a support network to enable me successfully complete this PhD and explore opportunities for research collaboration. The skills I will acquire from this program shall contribute to reducing the current gap in the number of locally available experts wi