Sex and Dominance Differences in the Relationship Between Childhood Trauma and Prosocial Behavior: The Roles of Meaning in Life and Resilience

Abstract

The impact of childhood trauma on adolescents’ development is a key topic in social science. Much of the existing literature focuses on its negative consequences, with limited study on its effects on positive social functions, particularly prosocial behavior. This study aims to uncover the link between childhood trauma and prosocial behavior among Chinese adolescents, focusing on how meaning in life and resilience mediate this relationship and how sex and social dominance goals moderate these effects. This study utilized random cluster sampling to survey 659 adolescents (mean age = 15.05, SD = 1.576, 53.6% female) in Huai’an City, Jiangsu Province, China. Data on childhood trauma, meaning in life, resilience, and prosocial behavior were collected through self-reported measures. The data were analyzed through Process Macro Model 4 for mediation effects and Model 8 for moderated mediation in SPSS 26.0. Findings indicated that meaning in life (β = −.042, P < .001, SE = 0.015) and resilience (β = −.071, P < .001, SE = 0.018) partially mediate the impact of the main effect. Social dominance goals reduced the negative effects of trauma on prosocial behavior; higher levels lead to reduced impacts (β = −.173, P < .001, SE = 0.039, t = −4.448). Sex differences also moderated the effect of trauma on meaning in life, with females experiencing a greater decrease in the meaning of life after adversity (β = −.825, P < .001, SE = 0.112, t = −7.372). This research offers new insights into the mechanisms by which childhood trauma affects prosocial behavior and emphasizes the need to consider sex and social dominance goals in trauma interventions.