The Moderating Effect of Human Rights Education: Examining the Relationship Between Parental Abuse, Child Self-Esteem, and Human Rights Attitude

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the mediating role of child self-esteem in the relationship between parental abuse and children’s human rights attitude, while exploring the moderating effect of children’s participation in human rights education on these associations. Using data from 2020 Children and Youth Human Rights Survey ( N = 5,673 students, 50% female, mean age = 15.53), we conducted structural equation modeling to assess the conceptual model’s validity. Parental abuse showed a negative relationship with human rights attitude. For children not participating in human rights education, self-esteem acted as a partial mediator, while for participating children, self-esteem served as a full mediator. Paradoxically, human rights education may be linked to lower self-esteem in certain groups of children. The magnitude of the negative association between parental abuse and self-esteem was stronger for those who participated in human rights education compared to those who did not. This implies that the psychological well-being maintained through dysfunctional protective systems may momentarily crumble when faced with contradictory information. These compelling findings furnish valuable perspectives on the significance of equipping children with knowledge and principles related to human rights, a crucial aspect in molding their outlooks, coping mechanisms, and fortitude when confronted with challenging situations. Based on these results, the importance of human rights education and the need for careful composition of human rights education content for abused children were discussed.