Does forgiveness mediate the impact of school bullying on adolescent mental health?

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dc.contributor.author Janse van Rensburg, Estie
dc.contributor.author Raubenheimer, Jacques
dc.date.accessioned 2015-07-14T09:47:04Z
dc.date.available 2015-07-14T09:47:04Z
dc.date.issued 2015
dc.description.abstract OBJECTIVE : The link between both bullying and victimisation and psychopathology has been well established. Forgiveness has been associated with better mental health. However, few studies have examined the relationship between adolescent forgiveness, psychopathology and bullying/ victimisation. This study investigated forgiveness as a mediator of the adverse mental health problems experienced by bullies and victims of bullying. METHOD : Participants were 355 Year 10 or Year 11 pupils (age = 14.9 years) from two British secondary schools in 2007, who completed self-administered measures on bullying and victimisation, mental health, forgiveness of self and others, and forgivingness. The mediating influence of forgiveness on the impact of bullying/victimisation on mental health was tested with a structural equation model. RESULTS : Data from 55.6% of the 639 eligible pupils were analysed. Results confirmed an association between bullying/victimisation, forgiveness and psychopathology. Forgiveness scores were found to play a mediating role between bullying/victimisation and psychopathology. CONCLUSIONS : Victimised adolescents who were better able to forgive themselves were more likely to report lower levels of psychopathology, while bullying adolescents who were unable to forgive others were more likely to report higher levels of psychopathology. This suggests a greater role for forgiveness within future research, intervention and policy on bullying. Forgiveness can form a valuable part of preventative and educational anti-bullying programmes. en_ZA
dc.description.embargo 2015-12-22 en_ZA
dc.description.librarian hb2015 en_ZA
dc.description.uri http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rcmh20 en_ZA
dc.identifier.citation Estie Janse van Rensburg & Jacques Raubenheimer (2015) Does forgiveness mediate the impact of school bullying on adolescent mental health?, Journal of Child & Adolescent Mental Health, 27:1, 25-39, DOI: 10.2989/17280583.2014.955502 en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn 1728-0583 (print)
dc.identifier.issn 1728-0591 (online)
dc.identifier.other 10.2989/17280583.2014.955502
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/48701
dc.language.iso en en_ZA
dc.publisher Routledge en_ZA
dc.rights © NISC Pty Ltd. This is an electronic version of an article published in Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 25-39, 2015. doi : 10.2989/17280583.2014.955502. Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health is available online at : http://www.tandfonline.comloi/rcmh20 en_ZA
dc.subject Mental health en_ZA
dc.subject Forgiveness en_ZA
dc.subject Adolescent forgiveness en_ZA
dc.subject Psychopathology en_ZA
dc.subject Bullying en_ZA
dc.subject Victimisation en_ZA
dc.title Does forgiveness mediate the impact of school bullying on adolescent mental health? en_ZA
dc.type Postprint Article en_ZA


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