Moderating Role of Gender in Association Between Exposure to Home and Community Violence on Violent Extremism

Research has shown that being exposed to domestic and community violence significantly contributes to experiencing antisocial behaviors. It has received less attention to consider the possibility that exposure to community and domestic violence could also serve as potential factors for support for extremist violence. Consequently, this study investigated the role of exposure to domestic and community violence, in relation between violent extremism, and the moderating effect of gender. The sample comprised of the 562 participants (n = 289 females; n = 273 males) with age ranged between 16 and 25 years. The data were gathered from colleges, universities, madaaris [religious institutes], and all provinces across Pakistan. This research employed violent extremism scale and the Urdu version of childhood exposure to domestic violence scale and subscale exposure to community violence scale. Results showed a significant positive association among exposure to community, domestic violence, and violent extremism. There exists an argument suggesting that exposure to domestic and community violence has a statistically significant influence on the probability that an individual is susceptible to endorsing violent extremist ideologies. Gender significantly moderated the relation between exposures to community violence violent extremism. The findings indicated that exposure to home and community violence are the key factors in understanding the potential for violent extremism among young adults and suggest pathways for further investigation. The results of this study indicate the necessity for the implementation of policies and programs designed to address violent extremism.