Childhood trauma and aggression of young women serving a prison term in China: Dark personality as a mediator

We investigated the mediating role of dark personality in the relationship between childhood trauma and aggressive behavior among young women who had been imprisoned for violent offenses in China. Participants were 125 young women serving prison terms, who completed a survey. We found that childhood trauma, dark personality, and aggressive behavior were significantly and positively associated with one another. Further, dark personality played a mediating role in the relationship between childhood trauma and aggressive behavior. Our findings elucidate the mechanisms underlying aggressive behavior in women incarcerated for a violent offense, offering valuable insights for parents and prison staff to intervene and prevent such behaviors within this population.