Childhood maltreatment and adolescent withdrawn behavior: Evidence from a multiverse analysis and a longitudinal moderated mediation model.

Background

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a major developmental risk factor for adolescent withdrawn behavior, yet empirical estimates vary substantially, and the mechanisms underlying this association remain insufficiently tested.

Objective

This study aimed to examine the robustness of the association between CM and withdrawn behavior using a multiverse approach and to test a longitudinal moderated mediation model with psychological resilience as a mediator and friendship quality as a moderator.

Participants

Data were drawn from adolescents in Hebei Province, China. Study 1 included 1976 participants. Study 2 followed 1639 adolescents from the same cohort over approximately seven months.

Methods

Study 1 employed a multiverse analysis incorporating 80 plausible analytic specifications to assess the stability of the association between CM and withdrawn behavior. Study 2 used a longitudinal moderated mediation model to test the mediating role of psychological resilience and the moderating role of friendship quality.

Results

In Study 1, CM was associated with higher levels of withdrawn behavior across all 80 analytic specifications (median β = 0.17; NSRPD = 80/80; p < .001). In Study 2, CM was related to lower psychological resilience (β = -0.07, p = .006), which in turn was related to higher subsequent withdrawn behavior (β = -0.22, p < .001). Friendship quality significantly strengthened the negative association between psychological resilience and withdrawn behavior (β = -0.05, p = .049).

Conclusions

The association between CM and adolescent withdrawn behavior was robust across analytic specifications. Psychological resilience mediated this association, and friendship quality strengthened the protective effect of psychological resilience.