Retrospective Childhood Emotional Maltreatment and Adolescent Problem Behaviors Trajectories: The Mediating Roles of Neuroticism and Self-Compassion

Despite growing awareness that early adverse experiences may shape adolescent problem behaviors, understanding of the longitudinal relationships and potential mechanisms between childhood emotional maltreatment and the developmental trajectories of adolescent problem behaviors remains limited. This study examined the longitudinal relationship between retrospective childhood emotional maltreatment and adolescent problem behaviors trajectories, considering the mediating roles of neuroticism and self-compassion. Participants were 1,214 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 15.46, SDage = 0.71, 60.70 % male) from a longitudinal design with three waves spanning six months. Adolescents reported their retrospective childhood emotional maltreatment (ages 6–12) at Time 1, as well as their current levels of neuroticism and self-compassion at Time 1. Problem behaviors were reported at Times 1, 2, and 3. Results showed that childhood emotional maltreatment was positively associated with the initial level of adolescent problem behaviors and negatively associated with its decreasing rate. Notably, neuroticism mediated the relationship between childhood emotional maltreatment and adolescent problem behaviors trajectories (both initial level and decreasing rate), and self-compassion mediated the association between childhood emotional maltreatment and the initial level of adolescent problem behaviors. These findings highlight that preventing and addressing adolescent problem behaviors requires integrated attention to environmental and individual factors.