Childhood maltreatment and Internet addiction among Chinese adolescents: A moderated mediation model

Abstract

Although childhood maltreatment has been suggested to play an important role in developing Internet addiction among adolescents, little is known about the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this association. The present study investigated (a) the mediating role of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategy (MCERS) in the association between childhood maltreatment and Internet addiction, and (b) the moderating role of peer support in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and Internet addiction. A sample of 4163 Chinese adolescents (50.3 % females, Mage = 14.25, SD = 1.53) were recruited. The moderated mediation model showed that MCERS mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and Internet addiction. Furthermore, the mediating process was moderated by peer support. Interestingly, peer support can protect adolescents from being affected by higher levels of MCERS while it displays limited protective effect when adolescents suffered from higher levels of childhood maltreatment. These findings indicate that reducing the MCERS and enhancing peer support can contribute to the alleviation of negative influences of childhood maltreatment on Internet addiction.