Childhood psychological maltreatment and moral disengagement: A moderated mediation model of callous-unemotional traits and empathy

Abstract

Although childhood psychological maltreatment has been shown to play an important role in moral disengagement, little is known about the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relationship. This study examined whether callous-unemotional (CU) traits mediated the relationship between childhood psychological maltreatment and moral disengagement, and whether this mediating process was moderated by empathy. Eight hundred and thirty-nine Chinese college students completed the measures of childhood psychological maltreatment, CU traits, moral disengagement, and empathy. The results indicated that childhood psychological maltreatment was significantly and positively associated with moral disengagement and this relationship was partially mediated by CU traits. Empathy further moderated the relationship between childhood psychological maltreatment and CU traits as well as childhood psychological maltreatment and moral disengagement. Specifically, the relationship between childhood psychological maltreatment and CU traits was significant for college students with low empathy, while it became non-significant for those with high empathy. The relationship between childhood psychological maltreatment and moral disengagement became was weaker for high empathy among college students.