The Association between Childhood Maltreatment and Cyber Dating Abuse Perpetration among Chinese adolescents: The Role of Relative Deprivation and Future Time Perspective

This study examines how childhood maltreatment relates to cyber dating abuse perpetration among Chinese high school students, with particular attention to the mediating role of relative deprivation and the moderating role of future time perspective. Survey data were collected from 566 students (M_age = 17.01, SD = 1.52; 252 male). Path analysis was conducted to test the proposed model. Findings indicate that experiences of childhood maltreatment are positively associated with later perpetration of cyber dating abuse. Relative deprivation emerged as a mediator in this relationship. Moreover, the influence of childhood maltreatment on cyber dating abuse—both its direct effect and its indirect effect through relative deprivation—varied depending on students’ future time perspective. These effects were stronger for those with a lower sense of future orientation compared with their peers who reported a higher future orientation. Taken together, the study sheds light on how early adverse experiences shape online relationship behaviors in adolescence, and highlights the importance of psychological factors such as relative deprivation and future time perspective in explaining these patterns.