Childhood maltreatment and violent discipline among Chinese elementary school teachers: The mediating role of attitudes and the moderating role of occupational stress

Child Abuse Negl. 2026 Jun 4;178:108148. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2026.108148. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: While prior research has explored the intergenerational transmission of violence in families, limited attention has been given to how teachers’ childhood maltreatment (CM) may influence their use of violent discipline in schools.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the relationship between teachers’ CM and their use of violent discipline, including psychological aggression (PA) and corporal punishment (CP). It further examined whether teachers’ attitudes toward violent discipline mediated this relationship, and whether occupational stress moderated the direct and indirect pathways.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: A total of 523 elementary school teachers from Beijing and Shandong Province, China, participated in the study.

METHODS: Teachers completed paper questionnaires assessing CM, the use of violent discipline, attitudes toward violent discipline, and occupational stress. Path analyses were employed to test the mediation and moderation effects.

RESULTS: Teachers’ CM was positively related to their use of PA and CP, and these associations were mediated by attitudes toward violent discipline. Moreover, teachers’ occupational stress attenuated the positive relation between CM and attitudes toward CP.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlighted that CM was associated with teachers’ violent behaviors in workplace settings, with attitudes toward violence and occupational stress playing key roles. These results suggest the necessity of targeted interventions for teachers with histories of CM, particularly focusing on modifying their cognition regarding violent discipline and incorporating occupational stress as a relevant contextual factor.

PMID:42241953 | DOI:10.1016/j.chiabu.2026.108148