How is Childhood Abuse Associated with Moral Disgust? The Mediating Role of Social Support and Gratitude——Based on the Theory of Mind

ABSTRACT

Based on the theory of mind, this study explores the relationship between childhood abuse and moral disgust, and the mediating role of social support and gratitude. Participants, 677 Chinese adults with an age range of 16–27 years, completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Moral Disgust Scale, Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Gratitude Questionnaire. Path analysis showed that social support and gratitude played a mediating role in the relationship between childhood abuse and moral disgust. This is the first study to explore the relationship between childhood abuse and moral disgust from the perspective of the theory of mind, and the results further support specific mechanisms that help to inhibit negative effects of childhood abuse on moral disgust, and enrich relative theories about moral.

KEYWORDS:

• Childhood abuse
• moral disgust
• social support
• gratitude

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by grants from Social Science Judge of Hunan [XSP18YBZ117].