University of Isfahan Positive Psychology Research 2476-4248 9 1 2023 06 22 The Role of Child Maltreatment in Self-Control of Adolescents: The Moderating Role of Gender and Self-Compassion The Role of Child Maltreatment in Self-Control of Adolescents: The Moderating Role of Gender and Self-Compassion 47 64 27588 10.22108/ppls.2023.135026.2356 FA Fatemeh Adib Rahnama MSc in clinical psychology, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Alzahra university, Tehran, Iran. Afrooz Afshari Aassistant professor, Department of psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Alzahra university, Tehran, Iran. Azam Farah Bijari Aassistant professor, Department of psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Alzahra university, Tehran, Iran. Journal Article 2022 10 10 This study investigated the moderating role of gender and self-compassion in the relationship between child maltreatment and self-control among adolescents. Using descriptive and correlational design, this research study employed available sampling to recruit 409 adolescents (205 girls and 204 boys) aged 13-19 years old from Qom Province, Iran. The instruments used for gathering data included Child Abuse Self-Report Scale (CASRS), Self-Control Scale, and Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form (SCS-SF). The data were analyzed by the path analysis. The results indicated that child maltreatment predicted a low level of self-control and self-compassion in adolescents. The role of self-compassion as a moderator in the relationship between child maltreatment and self-control was confirmed, while the role of the moderator of gender in this relationship was rejected. Thus, it can be claimed that child maltreatment can promote self-control and self-compassion in adolescence. Also, cultivating self-compassion in adolescents who have experienced child maltreatment can prevent them from reducing their self-control levels in adolescence. Introduction Recent research has indicated that hormonal and neurological changes during adolescence can cause adolescents to experience dangerous events (Berk, 2017). The appropriate level of self-control in adolescents will protect them from the harms of adolescence and the next years of their life (Jamshidi, 2016). Past studies have shown that experiencing child maltreatment is associated with low levels of self-control (Jones et al., 2021). Moreover, self-compassion can promote self-control (Hallion et al., 2019). In past studies, gender differences were observed in the experience of child maltreatment and self-control. In this study, we aimed to investigate the moderating role of gender and self-compassion in the relationship between child maltreatment and self-control among adolescents in Qom Province, Iran. The hypotheses of this research were: H1. Child-maltreatment predicts self-control. H2. Child maltreatment predicts self-compassion; H3. Self-compassion has a moderating role in the relationship between child maltreatment and self-control of adolescents. H4. Gender has a moderating role in the relation between child-maltreatment and self-control of adolescents. Method This study was a fundamental study in terms of its aim and a correlational study in terms of its method. The statistical population consisted of 409 adolescents (13-19 years old) in Qom and Kahak, Iran. From this sample, 205 (50.10%) were girls and 204 (49.90%) were boys. The participants were selected by the available sampling method. Data collection instruments included Child Abuse Self-Report Scale (CASRS), Self-Control Scale, and Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form (SCS-SF). The participants were assured that their information would remain confidential and informed consent was obtained prior to study. The online link to the questionnaire was provided to the participants through WhatsApp and Shad applications. Results There were 205 (50.10%) girls and 204 (49.90%) boys in the sample. From the sample, 60 individuals (14.7 percent) were 13 years old, 55 (13.4 percent) were 14 years old, 76 (18.6 percent) were 15 years old, 60 (14.7 percent) were 16 years old, 57 (13.9 percent) were 17 years old, 49 (12 percent) were 18 years old, and 52 (12.7 percent) were 19 years old. To analyze the first three hypotheses, standardized path coefficient and t statistic was used in Smart-PLS software (3rd version). If the obtained t statistic is greater than 1.96, the research hypothesis is confirmed. Table1 Evaluation of Significant Path Coefficients p t statistic Standard deviation Path coefficients Hypothesis confirmed 0.00 9.3 0.04 -0.41 Child maltreatment → Self-control confirmed 0.00 12.46 0.04 -0.46 Child maltreatment → Self-compassion confirmed 0.03 2.20 0.04 -0.09 The moderating role of self-compassion in path child maltreatment → Self-control As in Table 1, child maltreatment negatively and significantly predicted self-control in adolescence. Therefore, the first hypothesis was confirmed. (Path coefficient= -0.41, Standard deviation= 0.04, t= 9.3, p< 0.001). Also, child maltreatment negatively and significantly predicted adolescent self-compassion. Thus, the second hypothesis was confirmed. (Path coefficient= -0.46, Standard deviation= 0.04, t= 12.46, p< 0.001). The third hypothesis, which investigated the moderating role of self-compassion, was also confirmed (Rasouli et al., 2018, pp. 112). Hence, the results showed that self-compassion moderated the relationship between child maltreatment and self-control. (Path coefficient=-0.09, Standard deviation=0.04, t=2.20, p<0.03) Finally, the fourth hypothesis, which investigated the moderating role of gender (a nominal variable) in the relationship between child maltreatment and self-control, was tested by group analysis method (Rasouli et al., 2018). In the group analysis method, first, all the data were separated by gender. Then, the t statistic was calculated manually (Table 2). Table 2 Investigating the Moderating Role of Gender in the Relationship between Child Maltreatment and Self-control Path Path coefficients Number of people Standard deviation t Child maltreatment → Self-control Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy -0.25 -0.48 205 204 3.74 0.05 -0.03 According to the data analysis, the hypothesis related to the moderating role of gender in the relationship between child maltreatment and the self-control of adolescents was not confirmed. Conclusion This study aimed to investigate the moderating role of gender and self-compassion in the relation between child maltreatment and the self-control of adolescents. The results of this study showed that child maltreatment negatively and significantly predicted self-control in adolescents. The results are consistent with the findings of Jones et al., (2021) who investigated that exposure to childhood adversities reduces self-control levels in the next years of life. Also, the results showed that child maltreatment predicted self-compassion negatively and significantly. The obtained results are consistent with the research of Lesani et al., (2021) who showed that childhood traumas negatively affected self-compassion due to creating a sense of self-criticism and self-blame. In addition, based on the findings of the present study, self-compassion moderates the relationship between child maltreatment and self-control. This construct can reduce the negative effects of exposure to trauma (Barlow et al., 2017). Therefore, self-compassion can act as a shock absorber against the impact of child maltreatment on the self-control of adolescents and reduce its intensity. Also, the results showed that gender did not moderate the relationship between child maltreatment and self-control. Therefore, it can be claimed that if any child is maltreated, their self-control level would decline in the next years of their life, regardless of their gender. Finally, it is suggested that self-compassion group training be used for children with all kinds of child maltreatment. The present study had some limitations such as the omission of questions related to child sexual abuse. Also, another limitation of the study was related to the simultaneous presence of 19-year-old adolescents alongside 13-year-old ones, without considering the differences between them. Ethical Considerations: All ethical issues such as informed consent and compliance with the principle of confidentiality were compiled based on the ethical committee of Al-Zahra University, Tehran. Author’s Contributions: All authors contributed to this study and approved the submitted version. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest for this study. Funding: This study was conducted with no financial support. Acknowledgments: The authors would like to thank all participants for their time and contribution to the study. *. Corresponding author This study investigated the moderating role of gender and self-compassion in the relationship between child maltreatment and self-control among adolescents. Using descriptive and correlational design, this research study employed available sampling to recruit 409 adolescents (205 girls and 204 boys) aged 13-19 years old from Qom Province, Iran. The instruments used for gathering data included Child Abuse Self-Report Scale (CASRS), Self-Control Scale, and Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form (SCS-SF). The data were analyzed by the path analysis. The results indicated that child maltreatment predicted a low level of self-control and self-compassion in adolescents. The role of self-compassion as a moderator in the relationship between child maltreatment and self-control was confirmed, while the role of the moderator of gender in this relationship was rejected. Thus, it can be claimed that child maltreatment can promote self-control and self-compassion in adolescence. Also, cultivating self-compassion in adolescents who have experienced child maltreatment can prevent them from reducing their self-control levels in adolescence. Introduction Recent research has indicated that hormonal and neurological changes during adolescence can cause adolescents to experience dangerous events (Berk, 2017). The appropriate level of self-control in adolescents will protect them from the harms of adolescence and the next years of their life (Jamshidi, 2016). Past studies have shown that experiencing child maltreatment is associated with low levels of self-control (Jones et al., 2021). Moreover, self-compassion can promote self-control (Hallion et al., 2019). In past studies, gender differences were observed in the experience of child maltreatment and self-control. In this study, we aimed to investigate the moderating role of gender and self-compassion in the relationship between child maltreatment and self-control among adolescents in Qom Province, Iran. The hypotheses of this research were: H1. Child-maltreatment predicts self-control. H2. Child maltreatment predicts self-compassion; H3. Self-compassion has a moderating role in the relationship between child maltreatment and self-control of adolescents. H4. Gender has a moderating role in the relation between child-maltreatment and self-control of adolescents. Method This study was a fundamental study in terms of its aim and a correlational study in terms of its method. The statistical population consisted of 409 adolescents (13-19 years old) in Qom and Kahak, Iran. From this sample, 205 (50.10%) were girls and 204 (49.90%) were boys. The participants were selected by the available sampling method. Data collection instruments included Child Abuse Self-Report Scale (CASRS), Self-Control Scale, and Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form (SCS-SF). The participants were assured that their information would remain confidential and informed consent was obtained prior to study. The online link to the questionnaire was provided to the participants through WhatsApp and Shad applications. Results There were 205 (50.10%) girls and 204 (49.90%) boys in the sample. From the sample, 60 individuals (14.7 percent) were 13 years old, 55 (13.4 percent) were 14 years old, 76 (18.6 percent) were 15 years old, 60 (14.7 percent) were 16 years old, 57 (13.9 percent) were 17 years old, 49 (12 percent) were 18 years old, and 52 (12.7 percent) were 19 years old. To analyze the first three hypotheses, standardized path coefficient and t statistic was used in Smart-PLS software (3rd version). If the obtained t statistic is greater than 1.96, the research hypothesis is confirmed. Table1 Evaluation of Significant Path Coefficients p t statistic Standard deviation Path coefficients Hypothesis confirmed 0.00 9.3 0.04 -0.41 Child maltreatment → Self-control confirmed 0.00 12.46 0.04 -0.46 Child maltreatment → Self-compassion confirmed 0.03 2.20 0.04 -0.09 The moderating role of self-compassion in path child maltreatment → Self-control As in Table 1, child maltreatment negatively and significantly predicted self-control in adolescence. Therefore, the first hypothesis was confirmed. (Path coefficient= -0.41, Standard deviation= 0.04, t= 9.3, p< 0.001). Also, child maltreatment negatively and significantly predicted adolescent self-compassion. Thus, the second hypothesis was confirmed. (Path coefficient= -0.46, Standard deviation= 0.04, t= 12.46, p< 0.001). The third hypothesis, which investigated the moderating role of self-compassion, was also confirmed (Rasouli et al., 2018, pp. 112). Hence, the results showed that self-compassion moderated the relationship between child maltreatment and self-control. (Path coefficient=-0.09, Standard deviation=0.04, t=2.20, p<0.03) Finally, the fourth hypothesis, which investigated the moderating role of gender (a nominal variable) in the relationship between child maltreatment and self-control, was tested by group analysis method (Rasouli et al., 2018). In the group analysis method, first, all the data were separated by gender. Then, the t statistic was calculated manually (Table 2). Table 2 Investigating the Moderating Role of Gender in the Relationship between Child Maltreatment and Self-control Path Path coefficients Number of people Standard deviation t Child maltreatment → Self-control Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy -0.25 -0.48 205 204 3.74 0.05 -0.03 According to the data analysis, the hypothesis related to the moderating role of gender in the relationship between child maltreatment and the self-control of adolescents was not confirmed. Conclusion This study aimed to investigate the moderating role of gender and self-compassion in the relation between child maltreatment and the self-control of adolescents. The results of this study showed that child maltreatment negatively and significantly predicted self-control in adolescents. The results are consistent with the findings of Jones et al., (2021) who investigated that exposure to childhood adversities reduces self-control levels in the next years of life. Also, the results showed that child maltreatment predicted self-compassion negatively and significantly. The obtained results are consistent with the research of Lesani et al., (2021) who showed that childhood traumas negatively affected self-compassion due to creating a sense of self-criticism and self-blame. In addition, based on the findings of the present study, self-compassion moderates the relationship between child maltreatment and self-control. This construct can reduce the negative effects of exposure to trauma (Barlow et al., 2017). Therefore, self-compassion can act as a shock absorber against the impact of child maltreatment on the self-control of adolescents and reduce its intensity. Also, the results showed that gender did not moderate the relationship between child maltreatment and self-control. Therefore, it can be claimed that if any child is maltreated, their self-control level would decline in the next years of their life, regardless of their gender. Finally, it is suggested that self-compassion group training be used for children with all kinds of child maltreatment. The present study had some limitations such as the omission of questions related to child sexual abuse. Also, another limitation of the study was related to the simultaneous presence of 19-year-old adolescents alongside 13-year-old ones, without considering the differences between them. Ethical Considerations: All ethical issues such as informed consent and compliance with the principle of confidentiality were compiled based on the ethical committee of Al-Zahra University, Tehran. Author’s Contributions: All authors contributed to this study and approved the submitted version. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest for this study. Funding: This study was conducted with no financial support. Acknowledgments: The authors would like to thank all participants for their time and contribution to the study. *. Corresponding author

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