Childhood trauma and malevolent creativity: the mediating role of positive psychological capital and gender differences

Abstract Background Malevolent creativity refers to the creative processes used by an individual to deliberately harm others. Childhood trauma is typically associated with increased malevolent creativity and reduced positive psychological capital. Prior studies have also revealed significant gender differences in malevolent creativity. However, the mediating and moderating effects behind this relationship are still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the mediating effect of psychological capital and the moderating role of gender in the association between childhood trauma and malevolent creativity. Method A sample of 1501 college students (mean age = 20.26 years, SD = 1.28; 48.6% women) from China was investigated via questionnaires. All the subjects completed the Short Form of Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF), the Positive Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PPQ), and the Malevolent Creativity Behavior Scale (MCBS). PROCESS 3.1 was used to test the moderated mediating model. Results The results revealed significant gender differences in terms of psychological capital and malevolent creativity, with male students scoring significantly higher than female students. The moderated mediating model analysis revealed that childhood trauma had a positive direct effect on malevolent creativity and that psychological capital mediated this association. Moreover, this mediating model was moderated by gender such that childhood trauma had a stronger influence on malevolent creativity through psychological capital in males than in females. Conclusion The present study highlights the gender difference in the mediating role of psychological capital in the association between childhood trauma and malevolent creativity from a positive psychology perspective. The strengths and limitations of the current study are discussed.