AUTHOR=Chen Chen , Ji Shengkai , Jiang Juan TITLE=Psychological Abuse and Social Support in Chinese Adolescents: The Mediating Effect of Self-Esteem JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology VOLUME=13 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.852256 DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2022.852256 ISSN=1664-1078 ABSTRACT=

Although previous studies have explored relationships between psychological abuse and social support, the pathways from psychological abuse to social support are still unclear, particularly in Chinese adolescents. This cross-sectional study attempts to delineate the prevalence of psychological abuse and explore the relationships between psychological abuse, social support, and self-esteem under the Chinese cultural context. Data were obtained from 417 Chinese adolescents aged 15–18 years old. All of them completed the Child Psychological Abuse and Neglect Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Results indicated that the prevalence of psychological abuse in Chinese adolescents was 25.66%, and psychological abuse was negatively associated with self-esteem and social support, respectively. Self-esteem partially mediated the relationships between psychological abuse and social support. Findings highlight the importance of improving self-esteem in survivors of psychological abuse for decreasing the negative effects on social support. Additionally, the significance and limitations of the results were discussed.