Objective: To explore the impact of childhood abuse on aggressive behaviors among adolescents, and the mediating effect of violent video game exposure and moral disengagement.
Methods: A convenience sampling method was employed to select 632 students from a vocational high school in Chongqing, China. Data were collected through offline groups, using the questionnaires to measure childhood abuse experiences, exposure to violent video games, moral disengagement, and aggressive behavior. Data were analyzed using SPSS for correlation analysis, and further mediation analysis was conducted with exposure to violent video games and moral disengagement as mediators to examine the relationship between childhood abuse and aggressive behavior tendencies.
Results: Childhood abuse was significantly positively correlated with aggressive behavior tendencies in high school students（r=0.291, p<0.001). Further analysis revealed that exposure to violent video games, moral disengagement, and their chain mediation effect served as mediators between childhood abuse and aggressive behavior tendencies. The indirect effect values were 0.030(10.31%), 0.112(38.49%), and 0.005(1.71%), respectively.
Conclusion: Experiences of childhood abuse maybe not only directly influenced aggressive behavior tendencies in high school students, but also indirectly influenced the aggressive behavior tendencies through the chain mediation effects of exposure to violent video games and moral disengagement. Therefore, reducing child abuse and establishing correct moral values may help to reduce aggressive behavior in adulthood.
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