Emotional Abuse, Bullying and Forgiveness among Adolescents

Abstract

The current research was conducted to assess emotional abuse, bullying and forgiveness among adolescents. A sample of N =147 adolescents (n = 68 boys and n =79 girls) aged 13-17 years, (M = 15, SD = 1.35) were recruited through convenience sampling technique. The Demographic Form, Child Adolescent Bullying Scale (CABS), Emotional Abuse Questionnaire (self-developed), and Transgression-Related Interpersonal Motivations Inventory (TRIM-18) were used to assess study variables. Chi-Square, Pearson Product Moment correlation, simple linear regression, and Independent sample t-test was used to analyze the data. Results revealed that non-significant gender differences were found in the study variables. Findings state that high levels of bullying and older participants showed high benevolent motivation. Girls were more likely to be emotionally abused for their appearance and boys are more likely to confront their bullies and feel worthless/inferior as a result of emotional abuse. Limitations and recommendations for research are also discussed.