The relationship between childhood maltreatment and learning engagement of high school students: the role of growth mindset and beliefs about adversity

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between childhood maltreatment, growth mindset, beliefs about adversity and learning engagement among high school students. METHODS: Research participants were selected by random cluster sampling.652 high school students (50.2% male and 49.8% female) from five high schools were investigated using paper-pencil survey versions of Child Trauma Questionnaire, The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-student, Growth Mindset Scale, and The Beliefs About Adversity Scale. RESULTS: Childhood maltreatment had a significant negative effect on high school students’ learning engagement. Childhood maltreatment directly predicted high school students’ learning engagement and also had an indirect negative predictive effect on learning engagement via growth mindset CONCLUSION: Growth mindset plays a mediating role between childhood maltreatment and learning engagement. The beliefs about adversity moderated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and growth mindset, as well as the relationship between childhood maltreatment and learning engagement. This study has empirical implications for helping high school students who have experienced childhood maltreatment to develop growth mindset and teaching students to adopt positive adversity beliefs in response to trauma during psychological interventions, thereby increasing high school students’ engagement in learning.