Children and adolescents with maltreatment experiences show worse representations of themselves, as compared to their nonmaltreated counterparts. According to the looking-glass self hypothesis (LGSH), individuals’ self-representations (SR) stem from interactions with significant others, reflecting associations between what significant others think of them (i.e., actual appraisals), individuals’ perceptions of significant others’ appraisals of them (i.e., reflected appraisals), and SR. However, little is known about the looking-glass self process in maltreated children and adolescents. This multi-informant study aimed to test the LGSH within the mother–child relationship with children and adolescents with maltreatment experiences. Specifically, including maltreatment experiences as co-predictors, this study analyzed the mediating role of mothers’ reflected appraisals (MRA) in associations between mothers’ actual appraisals (MAA) and children/adolescents’ SR. Participants were 203 children/adolescents (52.5% boys), 8–16 years old (M = 12.6; SD = 2.49), assisted by children and youth protection committees (CYPC), their mother, and their CYPC case workers. Case workers reported on child/adolescent maltreatment, children/adolescents reported on SR and MRA, and mothers reported on MAA. A multiple mediation path analysis revealed significant mediation effects of MRA between MAA and child/adolescent SR in instrumental, social, emotional, intelligence, and opposition SR, thus supporting the LGSH in the context of child/adolescent maltreatment. Also, psychological neglect was associated to worse intelligence SR, mediated by intelligence reflected appraisals. Findings emphasize the importance of the role of MRA on maltreated children and adolescents’ SR construction process, and provide useful clues to incorporate in prevention and intervention strategies targeting maltreated children and adolescents.

与未受虐待的同龄人相比，有虐待经历的儿童和青少年对自己的表现更差。根据镜子自我假设（LGSH），个体的自我表征（SR）源于与重要他人的互动，反映了重要他人对他们的看法（即实际评价）、个人对重要他人的看法之间的关联。对它们的评价（即反映的评价）和 SR。然而，关于受虐待儿童和青少年的镜子自我过程知之甚少。这项多信息研究旨在测试母子关系与遭受虐待的儿童和青少年之间的 LGSH。具体来说，包括虐待经历作为共同预测因素，本研究分析了母亲反映评价（MRA）在母亲实际评价（MAA）和儿童/青少年SR之间的中介作用。参与者是 203 名儿童/青少年（52.5% 男孩），年龄在 8-16 岁（M = 12.6; 标清= 2.49)，由儿童和青少年保护委员会 (CYPC)、他们的母亲和他们的 CYPC 个案工作者协助。个案工作者报告了虐待儿童/青少年，儿童/青少年报告了 SR 和 MRA，母亲报告了 MAA。多重中介路径分析揭示了 MRA 在工具性、社会性、情感、智力和对立性 SR 中 MAA 和儿童/青少年 SR 之间的显着中介作用，从而支持儿童/青少年虐待背景下的 LGSH。此外，心理忽视与较差的智力 SR 相关，由智力反映的评估介导。研究结果强调了 MRA 在受虐待儿童和青少年的 SR 构建过程中的作用的重要性，