Exposure to violence in childhood and adolescence is linked to adverse educational outcomes. Research from South America is underrepresented in evidence syntheses on the topic, despite being among the most violent regions worldwide. Attending to this problem, this systematic review characterizes and maps available evidence on the relationship between violence exposure and educational outcomes in South America. Using a preregistered protocol, we searched original empirical peer-reviewed studies published in English, Spanish, or Portuguese between 2012 and 2024 across multiple databases, Google Scholar, reference scanning, and expert consultation. Eligible studies examined any form of violence exposure and a broad range of educational outcomes in pre-primary, primary, or secondary school populations in South America. Information regarding independent, outcome, and mediating variables, study design, and publication characteristics was extracted and presented in an interactive evidence atlas. Studies were assessed using the Quality Appraisal for Diverse Studies tool. Thirty-nine, out of 1,123 identified documents, met the inclusion criteria. Most research was from Brazil (35.9%) and Colombia (30.8%), addressing school (39.6%) and community violence (22.6%). Non-traditional educational outcomes (e.g., school climate, social-emotional skills) were frequently studied. Study quality varied greatly, and a quantitative cross-sectional design was employed predominantly in 69.2% of the studies. Research on violence and educational outcomes in South America presents methodological, geographic, and population gaps. Greater methodological diversity, improved research infrastructure, international collaborations, and inclusive multilingual publication practices could allow for better research quality, coverage and accessibility. Findings highlight the need for a context-sensitive conceptual framework to understand violence’s impact on children.
AchkarA. M. N. E.LemeV. B. R.SoaresA. B.YunesM. A. M. (2019). Life Satisfaction and Academic Performance of Elementary School Students. Psico-USF, 24(2), 323–335. https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-82712019240209
2.
AntunesM. JAhlinE. M. (2017). Youth exposure to violence in the community: Towards a theoretical framework for explaining risk and protective factors. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 34, 166–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2017.01.015
3.
BajnathV.HarcourtS.SpagnaS.DerbalyA. (2020). The effects of violent urban settings on neuropsychological outcomes: A review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 54, 101410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2020.101410
4.
BefusD. R.KumodziT.SchminkeyD.St. IvanyA. (2019). Advancing health equity and social justice in forensic nursing research, education, practice, and policy: Introducing structural violence and trauma- and violence-informed care. Journal of Forensic Nursing, 15(4), 199–205. https://doi.org/10.1097/JFN.0000000000000264
5.
BorofskyL. A.KellermanI.BaucomB.OliverP. H.MargolinG. (2013). Community violence exposure and adolescents’ school engagement and academic achievement over time. Psychology of Violence, 3(4), 381–395. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034121
6.
BottS.GuedesA.Ruiz-CelisA. P.MendozaJ. A. (2019). Intimate partner violence in the Americas: a systematic review and reanalysis of national prevalence estimates. Pan American Journal of Public Health, 43, e26. https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2019.26
7.
BrantsH. S.ArielB. (2023). Evidence map of school-based violence prevention programs in Israel. International Criminal Justice Review, 33(1), 50–65. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057567720967074
8.
BushmanB. J.NewmanK.CalvertS. L.DowneyG.DredzeM.GottfredsonM.JablonskiN. G.MastenA. S.MorrillC.NeillD. B.RomerD.WebsterD. W. (2016). Youth violence: What we know and what we need to know. American Psychologist, 71(1), 17–39. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039687
9.
CageJ.CorleyN. A.HarrisL. A. (2018). The educational attainment of maltreated youth involved with the child welfare system: Exploring the intersection of race and gender. Children and Youth Services Review, 88, 550–557. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.04.006
10.
CéspedesL. (2021). Latin American journals and hegemonic languages for academic publishing in Scopus and Web of Science. Trabalhos em Linguística Aplicada, 60, 141–154. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/010318138901311520201214
ECLAC (2024). Preventing and reducing school dropout in Latin America and the Caribbean. United Nations. https://hdl.handle.net/11362/68815
14.
ECLAC (2025). CEPALSTAT. Bases de Datos y Publicaciones Estadísticas. Demográficos y sociales / Sociales / Educación. Población de 20 a 24 años con educación secundaria completa, por sexo y área. https://statistics.cepal.org/portal/cepalstat/
15.
FryD.FangX.ElliottS.CaseyT.ZhengX.LiJ.FlorianL.McCluskeyG. (2018). The relationships between violence in childhood and educational outcomes: a global systematic review and meta-analysis. Child Abuse & Neglect, 75, 6–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.06.021
ImbuschP.MisseM.CarriónF. (2011). Violence research in Latin America and the Caribbean: A literature review. International Journal of Conflict and Violence, 5(1), 87–154. https://doi.org/10.4119/ijcv-2851
KennedyT. M.CeballoR. (2014). Who, what, when, and where? Toward a dimensional conceptualization of community violence exposure. Review of General Psychology, 18(2), 69–81. http://doi.org/10.1037/gpr0000005
20.
GlanvilleJ. (2019). Searching bibliographic databases. In CooperH.HedgesL. V.ValentineJ. C. (Eds.), The handbook of research synthesis and meta-analysis (pp. 73–99). Russell Sage Foundation. https://doi.org/10.7758/9781610448864
21.
González-SalamancaJ. C.AgudeloO. L.SalinasJ. (2020). Key competences, education for sustainable development and strategies for the development of 21st century skills. A systematic literature review. Sustainability, 12(24), 10366. https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410366
22.
HardawayC. R.LarkbyC. A.CorneliusM. D. (2014). Socioemotional adjustment as a mediator of the association between exposure to community violence and academic performance in low-income adolescents. Psychology of Violence, 4(3), 281–293. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036375
23.
HarrisonR.JonesB.GardnerP.LawtonR. (2021). Quality assessment with diverse studies (QuADS): An appraisal tool for methodological and reporting quality in systematic reviews of mixed- or multi-method studies. BMC Health Services Research, 21(1), 144. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-06122-y
24.
HolmesM. R.BergK. A.BenderA. E.EvansK. E.O’DonnellK.MillerE. K. (2022). Nearly 50 years of child exposure to intimate partner violence empirical research: Evidence mapping, overarching themes, and future directions. Journal of Family Violence, 37(8), 1207–1219. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-021-00349-3
25.
KliemeE.HartigJ.RauchD. (2008). The concept of competence in educational contexts. In HartigJ.KliemeE.LeutnerD. (Eds.), Assessment of competencies in educational contexts (pp. 3–22). Hogrefe & Huber Publishers.
26.
LeM. T. H.HoltonS.RomeroL.FisherJ. (2018). Polyvictimization among children and adolescents in low- and lower-middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 19(3), 323–342. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838016659489
27.
LundB. D. (2022). Is academic research and publishing still leaving developing countries behind?Accountability in Research, 29(4), 224–231. https://doi.org/10.1080/08989621.2021.1913124
28.
MaternowskaM. C.FryD. (2018). The multi-country study on the drivers of violence affecting children: An overview. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 13(Suppl 1), 12–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450128.2018.1476748
29.
MelsC.CuevasantaD.OrtuñoV. (2023). Self-efficacy, test anxiety and mathematics performance in Uruguayan adolescents exposed to community violence. Electronic Journal of Research in Education Psychology, 21(60), 291–308. https://doi.org/10.25115/ejrep.v21i60.5626
30.
MelsC.LagoaL.CuevasantaD. (2022). Exploring exposure to intertwined community violence among Uruguayan adolescents using a mixed-method approach. Journal of Community Psychology, 50(2), 1155–1172. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22709
31.
NakamotoJ.SchwartzD. (2012). Is peer victimization associated with academic achievement? A meta-analytic review. Social Development, 19(2), 221–242.
32.
OECD (2023), PISA 2022 results (Volume I): The state of learning and equity in education. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/53f23881-en
PageM. J.McKenzieJ. E.BossuytP. M.BoutronI.HoffmannT. C.MulrowC. D.ShamseerL.TetzlaffJ. M.AklE. A.BrennanS. E.ChouR.GlanvilleJ.GrimshawJ. M.HróbjartssonA.LaluM. M.LiT.LoderE. W.Mayo-WilsonE.McDonaldS.MoherD. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372(71). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
35.
PattonD. U.WoolleyM. E.HongJ. S. (2012). Exposure to violence, student fear, and low academic achievement: African American males in the critical transition to high school. Children and Youth Services Review, 34(2), 388–395. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2011.11.009
36.
PedrosaS. M.GontijoD. T.De SouzaM. M.SilvaM. A. I.MedeirosM. (2016). Violência no contexto escolar: significados para professores do ensino público/ Violence and the school context: meanings for public education teachers. Ciência, Cuidado e Saúde, 15(3), 397. https://doi.org/10.4025/cienccuidsaude.v15i3.29815
37.
PundirP.SaranA.WhiteH.SubrahmanianR.AdonaJ. (2020). Interventions for reducing violence against children in low- and middle-income countries: An evidence and gap map. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 16(4), e1120. https://doi.org/10.1002/cl2.1120
SharkeyP. (2018). The long reach of violence: A broader perspective on data, theory, and evidence on the prevalence and consequences of exposure to violence. Annual Review of Criminology, 1, 85–102. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-criminol-032317-092316
41.
SchwartzD.KellyB. M.MaliL. V.DuongM. T. (2016). Exposure to violence in the community predicts friendships with academically disengaged peers during middle adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 45(9), 1786–1799. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-016-0485-3
42.
SternC.KleijnenJ. (2020). Language bias in systematic reviews: You only get out what you put in. JBI Evidence Synthesis, 18(9), 1818–1819. https://doi.org/10.11124/JBIES-20-00361
43.
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (2016). Informe de resultados TERCE. Tercer estudio regional comparativo y explicativo. Factores asociados. unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000243533
44.
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (2017). School violence and bullying: Global status report. UNESCO. https://doi.org/10.54675/POIV1573
WeigertK. (2008). Structural violence. In KurtzL. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of violence, peace, & conflict (pp. 2004–2011). Elsevier.
53.
WhiteH.AlbersB.GaarderM.KornørH.LittellJ.MarshallZ.MathewC.PigottT.SnilstveitB.WaddingtonH.WelchV. (2020). Guidance for producing a Campbell evidence and gap map. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 16(4), e1125. https://doi.org/10.1002/cl2.1125
ZhangH.WangZ.TangX.WangW. (2025). The association between child maltreatment and academic achievement: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Child Abuse & Neglect, 159, 107159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.107159
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
