Association of Child Sexual Abuse Victimization and Murderous Behaviors and the Mediating Role of Psychological Adjustment among College Students in China

Abstract

A history of child sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with a variety of psychological issues and conduct disorders in adolescents. However, little is known about the association between CSA and its characteristics and murderous behaviors in young adults. The purpose of this study was to examine this relationship and explore the mediating effect of psychological adjustment (PA). A cross-sectional study was conducted with 4034 college students in Anhui Province, China. The participants were invited to complete self-report questionnaires regarding the history of CSA, self-perceived PA and murderous behaviors. PA was evaluated by two of the most important indicators: resilience and emotional release. Mediation analyses were computed via parallel mediation models. Of the participants, 14.1% reported experiencing CSA. After controlling for potential confounders, CSA victimization was robustly and positively associated with murderous ideation (OR: 2.36, 95% CI: 1.77–3.14), murderous plans (OR: 4.02, 95% CI: 2.63–6.12), murderous preparation (OR: 3.87, 95% CI: 2.37–6.31), and murderous attempts (OR: 5.35, 95% CI: 3.11–9.21). CSA victimization that was persistent and of the combined contact or noncontact types greatly increased the risk of murderous behaviors. A dose–response relationship was observed between the duration of experienced CSA and murderous behaviors. Furthermore, the results of the mediation analysis revealed that PA partially mediated the relationship between CSA victimization and murderous behaviors. Therefore, PA protects against the development of murderous behaviors in abused individuals. These findings have important implications for the prevention and intervention of murderous behaviors in adolescents who experienced CSA, highlighting the importance of considering PA as a protective role in this relationship.

Childhood maltreatment and homicidal ideation among Chinese early adolescents: The serial mediating role of borderline personality features and aggression

“…Cavaiola and Schiff (1988) reported that nearly 74% of adolescents who had suffered physical abuse and nearly 59% of adolescents who had suffered sexual abuse experienced homicidal ideation. Similarly, we previously demonstrated that child sexual abuse victimization was associated with an increased risk for murderous ideation and behaviors in college students (Li et al, 2023). Furthermore, a recent network analysis found that early adolescents who had experienced bullying in elementary school were more likely to report homicidal ideation than those who had not (Yuan et al, 2022).…”

“…The risk factors for adolescent homicide ideation were shown to be complex and included psychological and social factors; several studies reported that homicide ideation was related to mental health problems, alcohol abuse and conduct disorders (Hohl et al, 2017; Vaughn et al, 2020; Waesche et al, 2016). In particular, increasing evidence demonstrated a strong link between CM and an elevated risk of homicidal ideation (Li et al, 2023; Su et al, 2018; Zhang et al, 2019). CM was a major global public health problem, and it included any form of abuse and neglect of children by parents and caregivers (Stoltenborgh et al, 2015).…”

“…In China, Su et al (2018) surveyed 5726 middle and high school students and found that 9.9% reported having thought about killing others. Additionally, our previous studies revealed that the prevalence rate of murderous ideation among college students was 6.9% (Li et al, 2023). The prevalence of homicidal ideation among adolescents in different studies might have varied due to differences in cultural background, laws, research methods, and sample populations (UNODC, 2019).…”

Peer Victimization and Subjective Well-Being Among Chinese Adolescents: Moderated Mediation by Forgiveness and Self-Esteem

“…Peer victimization. Peer victimization was assessed using the Adolescent Peer Victimization Questionnaire (Li et al, 2015). This questionnaire was adapted from previously validated instruments (e.g., Olweus, 1993) to ensure its cultural, linguistic, and age appropriateness.…”

Deviant peer affiliation, parent involvement, and aggressive behaviors of rural children in China

“…The theories that explain aggressive behaviors encompass cognitive associationism theory, social learning theory, social interaction theory, script theory, excitation transfer theory, the general affective aggression model, and ecological systems theory (Li et al, 2015;Zhi & Liu, 2003). Among them, ecological systems theory holds that every system in the social environment and its interactions have an effect on children's problem behaviors, and family and peers are important subsystems affecting aggressive behaviors (Li et al, 2015;Zhi & Liu, 2003).…”