The Effects of Childhood Abuse Experience on Adolescent Suicidal Behavior: Mediated Moderating Effects of Negative Emotion and Self-Esteem

Abstract

This study compared and analyzed the mediating effect of negative emotions and the moderating effect of self-esteem in the period of elementary, middle, and high school students in accordance with the developmental stage in the effect of abuse experience in childhood on suicidal behavior in adolescence. The data of this study are the data of the 10th (2015), 13th (2018), and 16th (2021) child supplementary surveys of the Korea Welfare Panel. A total of 1,138 subjects (10th grade elementary school students: 438 people, 13th grade middle school students: 383 people, 16th grade high school students: 317 people) were used for analysis. Research model analysis was analyzed using PROCESS macro. As a result of the analysis, first, as a result of confirming the mediating effect of negative emotion in the relationship between childhood abuse experience and adolescent suicidal behavior according to developmental stage, it was confirmed that there is a mediating effect in all of the elementary, middle, and high school students. Second, in the relationship between childhood abuse experiences, negative emotions, and suicidal behavior in adolescence according to developmental stage, the mediated moderating effect of self-esteem was confirmed in elementary and high school students, but no self-esteem moderating effect was found in middle school students. The above study results were discussed based on previous studies, and based on these results, an effective intervention plan for reducing suicidal behavior in adolescence was suggested.