The correlation of childhood maltreatment and aggression among incarcerated adolescents: testing the mediating effects of self-esteem and self-control

This study examines the impact of childhood maltreatment on aggression among incarcerated adolescents, primarily focusing on the mediating roles of self-esteem and self-control. In the present study, 454 male incarcerated adolescents from two juvenile correctional facilities, ranging in age from 14 to 18 years old, completed a set of questionnaires. These questionnaires comprised the childhood trauma questionnaire, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Brief Self-Control Scale, and the Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire. The results revealed that childhood maltreatment, self-esteem, and self-control correlated with aggression. The structural equation modeling analysis and the bootstrap test indicated that self-esteem and self-control completely mediated the effects of childhood maltreatment on aggression. The findings expanded the outcomes of previous research and illuminated how childhood maltreatment was related to aggression. Implications and limitations of the present study are also discussed.