Childhood maltreatment and aggressive behavior among college students: a serial mediation model of authenticity and alexithymia

Introduction Aggressive behavior among college students is a concerning issue that not only affects the mental health and personal development of those involved but also poses a threat to societal stability. Existing literature has consistently demonstrated a positive correlation between childhood maltreatment and aggressive behavior. However, the specific mechanisms through which childhood maltreatment leads to aggressive behavior remain unclear. This study aims to explore the impact of childhood maltreatment on aggressive behavior among college students and to examine the mediating roles of authenticity and alexithymia in this relationship.Methods To investigate these relationships, we conducted an online survey among 1,148 Chinese college students. Participants completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF), Authenticity Scale, Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and 12-item Aggression Questionnaire (12-AQ). These instruments allowed us to measure the variables of interest and to analyze the potential mediating effects of authenticity and alexithymia.Results The findings of our study indicate that both authenticity and alexithymia mediate the positive relationship between childhood maltreatment and aggressive behavior. Specifically, the mediating effect of authenticity was 0.04 (95% CI [0.01, 0.06]), while that of alexithymia was 0.10 (95% CI [0.07, 0.13]). Moreover, we observed a chain-mediating effect involving both authenticity and alexithymia, with a chain-mediating effect of 0.03 (95% CI [0.02, 0.05]).Conclusions This study demonstrates that childhood maltreatment can positively predict aggressive behavior in college students, and this relationship is mediated individually and sequentially by authenticity and alexithymia. Our findings contribute valuable insights to the existing research on aggressive behavior and provide a theoretical framework for developing interventions aimed at reducing aggressive behaviors among college students.