Childhood Emotional Abuse and Cyberbullying Perpetration Among Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Trait Mindfulness

Abstract

Preliminary studies have indicated that childhood emotional maltreatment (i.e., abuse and neglect) can be associated with higher cyberbullying perpetration (CBP) among university students. The purpose of the present study was to test the direct and indirect effects of childhood emotional abuse (CEA) on CBP via trait mindfulness and trait emotional intelligence (TEI). A total of 470 adolescent students participated in the study and completed a questionnaire comprising measures of the aforementioned variables. Path analysis showed that trait mindfulness, but not TEI, was a partial mediator between CEA and CBP among the total sample, males, and females. Results indicated that there were other factors that explain the relationship between CEA and CBP in addition to lower mindfulness. These findings suggest that developing mindfulness-based intervention programs for adolescents who have been emotionally abused as a child may reduce their engagement in cyberbullying. This study is the first to document the direct role of CEA on CBP and indirect via trait mindfulness among adolescents.