Parental Abuse as Perceived by Children and Its Relation to Irrational Thoughts of Preparatory School Students

Abstract

The aim of the research is to identify the level of parental abuse as perceived by children from their parents and self- compassion and the irrational thoughts of preparatory school students, and to identify the differences in the level of parental abuse as perceived by children (father/ mother) and Self-compassion and the irrational ideas according to gender (male/ female), also identifying the relation between parental abuse as perceived by children (father / mother) and self- compassion in particular and the relation between parental abuse as perceived by children (father / mother) and irrational ideas. A random sample of stratified stratum of 452 students was selected from fifth grade students. The researchers had prepared a scale to measure the parental abuse in two versions for father / mother, and relied on the irrational scale of ideas for Al-Naimi (2004). The validity of the research tools was verified by presenting them to experts and jurors. The structural integrity of the tools was verified. The discrimination of the instruments was calculated and the reliability was calculated by means of retesting and alpha Kronbach. The data were statistically treated using SPSS as well as a number of other statistical methods, such as the T-test of one independent sample, two independent samples, the X-test, the alpha test, and the multiple correlation coefficient. The results show that preparatory school students face father’s abuse, with no mother’s abuse. There is also significant differences between father’s abuse level in regards to gender and for the benefit of male students. The results also show no significant differences in the  level of mother’s abuse in regards to the two variables (gender). The results also show that preparatory school students have irrational ideas. Also, the results show significant statistical difference in the level of irrational thoughts in regards to gender variable for the benefit of male students, and there is no significant statistical difference in the level of irrational thoughts in regards to academic study variable. Moreover, there is a statistically significant correlation in the relation between parental abuse by father / mother and irrational thoughts.