Childhood Violence and Empathy among Young Adults: Mediating Role of Emotional Desensitization

Authors

  • Shehzadi Imama Khan MS Scholar (Clinical Psychology), Department of Social Sciences, SZABIST University, Islamabad, Pakistan
  • Arooj Mujeeb (Corresponding Author) Assistant Professor, Department of Social Sciences, SZABIST University, Islamabad, Pakistan
  • Faria Shujat MS Scholar, Department of Social Sciences, SZABIST University, Islamabad, Pakistan
  • Annum Batool MS Scholar, Department of Social Sciences, SZABIST University, Islamabad, Pakistan
  • Maryam Khalid MS Scholar (Clinical Psychology), Department of Social Sciences, SZABIST University, Islamabad, Pakistan
  • Fatima Zaffar MS Scholar (Clinical Psychology), Department of Social Sciences, SZABIST University, Islamabad, Pakistan

Abstract

The present study investigated the interrelationship among childhood violence, empathy, and emotional desensitization among young adults through convergent parallel mixed-method design. Quantitative sample included 200 young adults with age 18-35 years who were recruited in the city of Islamabad, Pakistan but on the other hand, qualitative data were gathered by means of semi-structured interviews with eight interviewees. Childhood violence was operationalized through the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ -28), emotional desensitization through the Emotion Reactivity Scale (ERS -21), and empathy through Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ -16). The quantitative analysis showed that emotional desensitization was positively and empathy was negatively connected with childhood violence (p <.05). Emotional desensitization also had a negative relationship with empathy. The mediation analysis revealed partial evidence between childhood violence and empathy with empathy mediated by emotional desensitization (indirect effect, β = -.05). One-way ANOVA revealed that emotional abuse experiences as well as sexual abuse experiences were significantly linked with high levels of emotional desensitization (= 0.51683). The thematic categories that were identified through qualitative thematic analysis included emotionally neglectful childhood situations, emotional repression and avoidance, emotional numbness, interpersonal detachment, muted empathy, and self-protective emotional belief systems. Overall, the results suggest that the emotional desensitization caused by child violence prevents empathic functioning in young adulthood. The paper underscores the need of adopting trauma-informed and culturally sensitive interventions that would reinstate emotional responsiveness and empathy to those individuals who have experienced childhood violence.

Keywords: childhood voilence, emotional desnsitization, empathy, young Adults, mixed-methods

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Published

2026-02-05

How to Cite

Shehzadi Imama Khan, Arooj Mujeeb (Corresponding Author), Faria Shujat, Annum Batool, Maryam Khalid, & Fatima Zaffar. (2026). Childhood Violence and Empathy among Young Adults: Mediating Role of Emotional Desensitization. Sociology &Amp; Cultural Research Review, 5(01), 189–203. Retrieved from https://scrrjournal.com/index.php/14/article/view/573

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 01 (2026): Sociology & Cultural Research Review

Section

Articles