Child Abuse Negl. 2024 Sep 16;157:107051. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.107051. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Bullying among adolescents is a significant public health concern worldwide. While child maltreatment (CM) is a known risk factor, few studies explore whether abused adolescents become bullies or victims and how CM affects day-to-day bullying/victimization. Existing research often uses cross-sectional and longitudinal designs with long intervals, failing to capture the dynamic nature of adolescence and bullying behaviors.
OBJECTIVE: Based on personality solidification theory, the study used a weekly diary method to examine the relationship between adolescents’ CM and weekly bullying/victimization, as well as the mediating mechanisms of the Big Five personality traits.
PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: 452 students (167 girls, Mage = 12.90, SDage = 0.48) from a junior high school in southern China participated in a 7-week diary study.
METHODS: After participants finished all questionnaires, multilevel models were constructed to analyze weekly diary data.
RESULTS: The findings indicated that CM positively predicted adolescents’ weekly bullying/victimization, both directly and indirectly, through personality traits. Specifically, CM predicted weekly bullying through openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism, while it also forecasted weekly victimization through neuroticism.
CONCLUSIONS: CM had long-term adverse effects on adolescents’ day-to-day bullying and victimization through the solidification of personality, which may provide significant theoretical and empirical foundations for the prevention of bullying in schools.
PMID:39288529 | DOI:10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.107051
