A large body of work has examined the effects of involvement in and exposure to violence on children’s and adolescents’ adjustment. The experience of victimization is often associated with lower levels of emotional and social functioning during adolescence (Lätsch et al.,
2017, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine,
2016, Pham & Adesman,
2015, Rigby,
2003). Relative to younger children, adolescents are characterized by an increasing focus on their self and identity (Erikson,
1968), as well as by a tendency to be hyper-aware of others’ perceptions (Elkind,
1967), making them particularly sensitive to internalizing problems if exposed to violence. The victimized adolescents, in fact, might believe that they deserve or have somehow caused the victimization, thereby leading to lower self-esteem and self-worth (Graham & Juvonen,
1998). In particular, victimization has been shown to be linked to adolescents’ depressive and anxiety symptoms in various contexts, such as the home (Evans et al.,
2008, Wolfe et al.,
2003), the school (Flannery et al.,
2004, Janosz et al.,
2008), and the community (Fowler et al.,
2009, Gorman-Smith & Tolan,
1998). Moreover, victimization in childhood and adolescence is related to longer-term consequences, such as higher levels of mental health problems in adulthood (Källström et al.,
2020) or higher likelihood to be involved in violence, either as a perpetrator or a victim, as an adult (Ehrensaft et al.,
2003). Nonetheless, youth and families may demonstrate resilience in the aftermath of such experiences, characterized by a diverse range of interpersonal, relational, and contextual strengths (Hamby et al.,
2018, Ungar,
2011). Research in the area of resilience has underscored the importance of identifying factors that contribute to children’s wellbeing after adversity. Generally speaking, resilience processes may have direct positive effects on children’s adjustment (i.e., promotive factors) or buffer relations between adverse experiences and adjustment problems (i.e., protective factors; Masten,
2015). One such factor, which is evaluated in the current study, is the sense of coherence adolescents experienced within the family system.