“…Emotional abuse, as one subtype of child abuse, has been an important issue due to its high prevalence and serious consequences across nations and cultures (Ackner et al, 2013; May et al, 2022). A growing body of research has explored the relationship between physical/sexual abuse and behavior problems (e.g., Chen et al, 2023; Chen & Qin, 2020a), while the relationship between emotional abuse and behavior problems needs further exploration. Moreover, several studies have suggested that cortisol, a product of the physiological stress response system, may be a mechanism linking child abuse to behavior problems (e.g., Fogelman & Canli, 2018; Lu et al, 2016), while little is known about the role of cortisol in the pathway from emotional abuse to behavior problems.…”