Longitudinal effect of childhood maltreatment on suicidal behavior among adolescents: A moderated chain mediation model.

BACKGROUND

The existing literature has already established the connection between childhood maltreatment and suicidal behavior. However, it is imperative to delve deeper into comprehending the potential mediation and moderation mechanisms that operate between them, especially when considering a developmental perspective.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate a chain mediation model in which childhood maltreatment influences suicidal behavior through social-emotional competency and thwarted interpersonal needs (TIN) and explored the moderating role of state self-compassion in the model.

PARTICIPANTS AND

SETTING

A sample of 1660 Chinese adolescents (51.93 % boys; Mage = 13.51; SD = 0.83) enrolled in junior middle school was selected as participants for this study. They were required to complete self-administered questionnaires at three intervals spanning a period of one year.

METHOD: The proposed moderated chain mediation model was examined through structural equation modeling with Mplus 8.0 software.

RESULTS

Social-emotional competency and TIN at T2 sequentially mediated the relations between childhood maltreatment at T1 and suicidal behavior at T3. Furthermore, state self-compassion at T2 moderated the relations between TIN at T2 and suicidal behavior at T3.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings provided valuable insights into the underlying mechanism linking childhood maltreatment and suicidal behavior over development, emphasizing the potential of interventions targeting social-emotional competency, TIN, and state self-compassion in serving as preventive measures to disrupt the developmental pathway from childhood maltreatment to adolescent suicidal behavior.