Emotional neglect and posttraumatic growth among Chinese adolescents: A moderated mediation model of psychological suzhi and school engagement

Abstract

Emotional neglect is an under-recognized but relatively common type of childhood maltreatment. Although it has been reported that adolescents will facilitate positive growth after experiencing childhood maltreatment, such as sexual abuse, it is unknown whether adolescents could also get a promotion after experiencing emotional neglect. Thus, we aimed to examine the association between emotional neglect and posttraumatic growth (PTG) and further explored the potential influence factors underlying such association. Six hundred and thirty-five adolescents (55.2% female, Mage = 14.12 years old, SD = 1.47) were asked to complete self-report questionnaires regarding emotional neglect, school engagement, psychological suzhi, and PTG. Results showed that emotional neglect was negatively associated with PTG, and school engagement mediated such association. Further, psychological suzhi moderated the direct pathway from emotional neglect to PTG in which the deleterious effect of emotional neglect on PTG was weaker for adolescents who reported higher psychological suzhi. Meanwhile, psychological suzhi moderated the indirect pathway from emotional neglect to school engagement in the mediated model in which the deleterious effect of emotional neglect on school engagement was weaker for adolescents who reported higher psychological suzhi. Overall, the current study advances our understanding of the relationship between emotional neglect and PTG, and further tests the potential roles of school engagement and psychological suzhi in this relationship.