Childhood maltreatment influences cyberbullying in young adulthood: A moderated mediation model

There is a gap in understanding how risk and protective factors interact and accumulate in the process of childhood maltreatment influencing cyberbullying. Therefore, we investigated trait anger as a mediator and resilience as a moderator of the relationship between childhood maltreatment and cyberbullying. Participants were 263 Chinese preschool education students who completed an online survey. Results revealed a significant positive correlation between childhood maltreatment and cyberbullying, with trait anger playing a partial mediating role in this relationship. Further, resilience negatively moderated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and cyberbullying. To mitigate the relationship of childhood maltreatment and trait anger with cyberbullying and enhance the psychological well-being of survivors of abuse, multiple targeted interventions and programs are necessary.