Rumination responses and their relationship to the tendency towared revenge in a sample of adolescents

Abstract

The current study aimed to identify the prevalence level of both ruminative responses and the tendency toward revenge among a sample of adolescents. It also examined the predictive power of ruminative responses on the tendency toward revenge, explored the nature of the relationship between the two variables, and investigated differences in their levels according to gender and age stage.  A descriptive correlational approach was adopted, and two scales were prepared and translated: the Ruminative Response Scale (RRS-10) and the Basic Scale of the Tendency for Revenge (BSVT-11). These were administered to a sample of 338 male and female students from secondary schools and university-level institutions, distributed across middle and late adolescence stages.  The results indicated that the prevalence level of ruminative responses among the sample was high, while the prevalence level of the tendency toward revenge was moderate. The findings also showed that ruminative responses significantly predicted the tendency toward revenge. A statistically significant correlation was found between the two variables. No significant differences were found based on gender, while significant differences emerged based on age stage, favoring middle adolescence.