Facing uncertainties: The longitudinal relationship between childhood maltreatment and exploratory behavior

Exploratory behavior, as an essential component of decision-making, is indispensable for maximizing long-term benefits, making it a crucial factor in adolescents' psychological well-being and social adaptation. Despite the established understanding that this adaptive behavior is shaped by early adverse experiences, limited knowledge exists regarding the longitudinal relationship between childhood maltreatment and exploratory behavior.

The present study examines whether childhood maltreatment would impede subsequent exploratory behavior, considering the mediating role of uncertainty stress and the moderating role of intolerance of uncertainty.

Participants were 655 adolescents from a longitudinal design with two waves spanning six months (M_age = 15.99, SD_age = 0.92, 43.5 % female).

Correlation analysis and longitudinal moderated mediation effect testing were used to test our hypotheses.

Correlation analysis indicated that childhood maltreatment was negatively correlated with exploratory behavior only simultaneously but not longitudinally. After controlling age and gender, childhood maltreatment would accompany higher levels of uncertainty stress, which in turn may act as a driving force behind subsequent exploratory behavior. The heightened intolerance of uncertainty may potentially mitigate the direct link between childhood maltreatment and later exploratory behavior. Furthermore, this trait amplifies the experienced uncertainty stress in individuals who have undergone maltreatment, thereby increasing their inclination toward engaging in subsequent exploratory behavior.

Given the critical role of uncertainty stress, promoting more exploration among these maltreated adolescents requires corresponding cognitive and behavioral interventions to adjust their perception and cognition of uncertainty.