Dating Violence on University Campuses: The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem in the Link between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Dating Violence Perpetration

Plenty of studies have shown that individuals who reported more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) were more likely to commit dating violence (DV) than those who reported fewer ACEs. However, the underlying mechanism of the relationship remains understudied. Given that an individual's self-esteem is associated with both ACEs and DV behavior, this study aimed to explore the mediating role of self-esteem in the ACE-DV relationship. Cross-sectional research was conducted using a survey sample of 319 university students (177 with ACEs, and 142 without ACEs) from different universities located in different regions in China. Nearly half of the participants (41.4%) perpetrated DV in the past year, and more than half of the participants (55.5%) experienced at least one type of ACEs. The results showed that the direct effects of cumulative ACE and three subdimensions of ACEs (i.e., child maltreatment, family dysfunction, and socio-community adversity) on DV perpetration were statistically significant. Moreover, self-esteem partially mediated the relationships between cumulative ACE, as well as two subdimensions (child maltreatment and socio-community adversity), and DV perpetration. Self-esteem did not mediate the relationship between family dysfunction and DV perpetration. These results implied that children who had more ACEs were more likely to develop lower self-esteem, which may increase the likelihood of perpetrating DV in adulthood. Considering the findings, the urgency to involve community-based organizations in identifying children at high risk and improve the mandatory reporting system of child maltreatment in China is discussed. Also, the importance of early intervention in self-esteem building among children with ACEs, and implications for curbing dating violence in the university setting are discussed.