How childhood maltreatment links to labor values? The mediating role of moral competence and prosocial normative tendency

BACKGROUND: Labor values are important components of the individual value system and considered to be among the most important values of an individual, especially in China. In studies of values, childhood maltreatment is considered to have an important influence on the formation of individual values. However, there is no previous research about the relationship between childhood maltreatment and labor values. The mechanism of childhood maltreatment on labor values is not clear and requires further study. METHODS: This study intended to investigate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and labor values, and further verify whether moral competence or prosocial normative tendency mediated this correlation. Therefore, 2691 participants were recruited from primary and secondary schools, who completed Labor Values Scale, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Moral Competence subscale and Prosocial Norms subscale. RESULTS: Results revealed the negative correlation between childhood maltreatment and labor values. Importantly, childhood maltreatment also indirectly impacted labor values through moral competence and prosocial normative tendency. It indicated that both moral competence and prosocial normative tendency played a significant mediating role in this relationship. Our findings are valuable for understanding the underlying mechanism between early trauma and values. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood maltreatment has important implications for labor values. Moral competence and prosocial normative tendency mediate between childhood maltreatment and labor values. The results remind us to pay attention to the important influence of childhood maltreatment in the cultivation of labor values, and focus on the role of moral competence and prosocial normative tendency.