When care hurts or disappears: The consistency of emotional abuse and neglect and adolescents' internalizing problems: The mediating role of personal and general beliefs in a just world

Abstract Previous research on childhood maltreatment has predominantly focused on the independent effects of emotional abuse (EA) or emotional neglect (EN), providing limited insight into how combinations of these co‐occurring subtypes are associated with adolescent adjustment. Based on shattered assumptions theory, this longitudinal study examined how combined patterns of EA and EN were associated with adolescents' internalizing problems, as well as the indirect associations involving personal belief in a just world (PBJW) and general belief in a just world (GBJW). A total of 484 Chinese adolescents (51.03% girls; M age ± SD = 12.77 ± 0.72, Range age = 11–16) were followed over a six‐month interval. Polynomial regression and response surface analyses revealed that: (1) when EA and EN increased simultaneously, adolescents reported higher levels of internalizing problems; (2) when EA and EN were imbalanced, internalizing problems became more severe as the discrepancy between them widened, particularly when EA exceeded EN; and (3) PBJW, but not GBJW, accounted for significant indirect associations between joint EA–EN patterns and internalizing problems. These findings reveal the complex role of combined emotional maltreatment experiences in relation to psychological distress and highlight the stronger association of active emotional abuse, relative to passive neglect, with internalizing problems. This study extends the understanding of maltreatment patterns and offers insights for interventions that aim to strengthen adolescents' personal just world beliefs.