Maltreatment by Parents and Cyber Deviance Among Adolescents in Taiwan: The Mediating Role of Impulsivity

Abstract

ABSTRACT Maltreatment by parents is associated with delinquent behaviors in adolescence, sparking various theoretical explanations. However, whether these explanations of offline delinquency are applicable to cyber deviance remains unclear. Guided by the control model of criminal lifestyle development, we examined the mediating effect of impulsivity on the association between maltreatment by parents and cyber deviance, using two‐wave follow‐up data collected from junior high school students in Taiwan ( N = 778). The results from a half‐longitudinal mediation analysis showed that maltreatment by parents was associated with cyber deviance indirectly through impulsivity, with no significant sex difference. These findings support applying the control model of criminal lifestyle development to cyber deviance among adolescents. Furthermore, the results suggested that, in addition to preventing child maltreatment, interventions to reduce adolescents' impulsivity may be needed to prevent cyber deviance among adolescents.