The moderating effect of resilience on the relationship between exposure to domestic violence and academic dishonesty in Peruvian adolescents

Exposure to domestic violence during adolescence has been associated with adverse school-related outcomes, including academic dishonesty. Resilience may function as a psychosocial resource that mitigates these effects. This study examined the moderating role of resilience in the association between exposure to domestic violence and academic dishonesty among Peruvian school-aged adolescents. A total of 1721 secondary school students from urban regions of Peru participated in the study using convenience sampling. Validated instruments were administered to assess exposure to domestic violence, resilience, and academic dishonesty. Analyses included descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analyses, reliability estimates (Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega), and moderated regression analysis (PROCESS Model 1) with 5000 bootstrap resamples. Exposure to domestic violence was positively associated with academic dishonesty. This association showed a trend toward attenuation at higher levels of resilience (p = 0.057), suggesting that adolescents with greater resilience may be less likely to engage in dishonest academic behaviors even in contexts of family violence. These findings should be interpreted cautiously, as they indicate an emerging pattern rather than a definitive moderating effect. The results suggest that resilience may function as a protective psychosocial factor in the context of domestic violence and academic dishonesty. Interpreted within ecological systems and social learning frameworks, these findings highlight the potential value of strengthening resilience-related processes within school and family contexts to support adolescents exposed to psychosocial adversity.