Association of Child Sexual Abuse Victimization and Murderous Behaviors and the Mediating Role of Psychological Adjustment among College Students in China

Abstract

A history of child sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with a variety of psychological issues and conduct disorders in adolescents. However, little is known about the association between CSA and its characteristics and murderous behaviors in young adults. The purpose of this study was to examine this relationship and explore the mediating effect of psychological adjustment (PA). A cross-sectional study was conducted with 4034 college students in Anhui Province, China. The participants were invited to complete self-report questionnaires regarding the history of CSA, self-perceived PA and murderous behaviors. PA was evaluated by two of the most important indicators: resilience and emotional release. Mediation analyses were computed via parallel mediation models. Of the participants, 14.1% reported experiencing CSA. After controlling for potential confounders, CSA victimization was robustly and positively associated with murderous ideation (OR: 2.36, 95% CI: 1.77–3.14), murderous plans (OR: 4.02, 95% CI: 2.63–6.12), murderous preparation (OR: 3.87, 95% CI: 2.37–6.31), and murderous attempts (OR: 5.35, 95% CI: 3.11–9.21). CSA victimization that was persistent and of the combined contact or noncontact types greatly increased the risk of murderous behaviors. A dose–response relationship was observed between the duration of experienced CSA and murderous behaviors. Furthermore, the results of the mediation analysis revealed that PA partially mediated the relationship between CSA victimization and murderous behaviors. Therefore, PA protects against the development of murderous behaviors in abused individuals. These findings have important implications for the prevention and intervention of murderous behaviors in adolescents who experienced CSA, highlighting the importance of considering PA as a protective role in this relationship.