Childhood Maltreatment and Empathy in Community and Justice Samples: The Moderating Role of Positive Childhood Experiences

Child maltreatment (CM) has been related to adverse outcomes in adulthood, such as deficits in empathy. However, positive childhood experiences (PCEs) are related to adaptive characteristics in adulthood, mitigating the adverse effects of CM. This study aimed to explore the relationship between CM, PCEs, and empathy and analyze the moderating role of PCEs in the relationship between CM and empathy in a sample of 2310 male and female adults from the community (n = 1886) and justice settings (n = 424). Participants responded to a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Benevolent Childhood Experiences, the Child Trauma Questionnaire, and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. CM was negatively associated with empathy and PCEs, and PCEs were positively correlated with empathy. Justice-involved individuals scored higher on CM and lower on PCEs and empathy than community individuals. An interaction effect between CM and PCEs was found only for personal distress (empathy subscale) among justice-involved individuals. The results highlight the complexity of human development and the differential impact of PCEs on the relationship between CM and empathy.