Development of Breakup Grief Scale for Young Adults in Intimate Relationship

Authors

  • Khalid Mahmood Associate Professor, Department of Applied Psychology, Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan
  • Zartashia Kynat Javaid Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Psychology, Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan`
  • Amara Liaqat Ali PhD Scholar (Psychology), University Utara Malaysia

Keywords:

Breakup Grief, Young Adults, Emotional numbness, Impulsive Reaction, Separation Distress, Pakistan

Abstract

Intimate relationship breakups can cause a great deal of psychological suffering. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate the Breakup Grief Scale (BGS) for Pakistani young adults. Data of 262 participants (all above the age of 18)  was collected from different cities of Punjab, Pakistan using convenient sampling technique. SPSS was used for determining factor structure through exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Three factors were identified: separation distress (3 items), impulsive reaction (4 items), and emotional numbness (6 items). The Cronbach’s alpha of scale was 0.84, indicating good internal consistency. These results imply that the BGS is a valid instrument for evaluating young people’ grief related to intimate relationship breakups. The scale offers a focused way to gauge post-breakup issues, which has significant ramification for mental health practitioners. The scale should be further validated across a range of demographics in future research.

References

Akbari, M., Kim, J. J., Seydavi, M., Enright, R. D., & Mohammadkhani, S. (2022). Neglected side of romantic relationships among college students: Breakup initiators are at risk for depression. Family Relations, 71(4), 1698–1712. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12682

Ali, A. L., & Chethiyar, S. D. M. (2024, September 8). Exploring Relationship Break-up and its Effect on Mental Health in Punjab Pakistan. https://prjss.com/index.php/prjss/article/view/179

American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787

Anderson, V., Rabello, R., Wass, R., Golding, C., Rangi, A., Eteuati, E., Bristowe, Z., & Waller, A. (2019). Good teaching as care in higher education. Higher Education, 79(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00392-6

Atlam, D., Goven, B. A., & Yuncu, Z. (2023). Addiction in Romantic Relationships Scale Development: Validity and Reliability Study. Addicta the Turkish Journal on Addictions, 10(1), 52–58. https://doi.org/10.5152/addicta.2023.23027

Barutcu, K. F., & Aydin, Y. C. (2013). The scale for emotional reactions following the breakup. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 84, 786–790. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.06.647

Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and loss (No. 79). Random House.

Bowlby, J. (1988). A secure base: Parent-child attachment and healthy human development. London: Basic Books.

Brenner, R. E., & Vogel, D. L. (2015). Measuring thought content valence after a breakup: Development of the Positive and Negative Ex-Relationship Thoughts (PANERT) scale. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 62(3), 476–487. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000073

Cantero, P, L. (2017). The Break-Up Check: Exploring Romantic Love through Relationship Terminations. Philosophia, 46(3), 689–703. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11406-017-9935-8

Collins, T. J., & Gillath, O. (2012). Attachment, breakup strategies, and associated outcomes: The effects of security enhancement on the selection of breakup strategies. Journal of Research in Personality, 46(2), 210-222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2012.01.008

Field, T., Delgado, M., Pelaez, M., Deeds, O., & Delgado, J. (2009). Breakup Distress scale [Dataset]. In PsycTESTS Dataset. https://doi.org/10.1037/t66170-000

Gull, A., Naz, A., & Baloch, M, A. (2018). High Ratio of Divorce and its Rationale in Pakistan. Clinical Social Work and Health Intervention, 9(2), 24–32. https://doi.org/10.22359/cswhi_9_2_04

Hendrick, S. S., Dicke, A., & Hendrick, C. (1998). The Relationship Assessment scale. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 15(1), 137–142. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407598151009

Javaid, Z. K., Khan, K., Kamran, M., & Aslam, S. (2024). Influence of mindfulness on environmental satisfaction among young adults: mediating role of environmental identity. Environment and Social Psychology, 9(9), 2937.

Javaid, Z. K., Lodhi, A. K., & Kamran, M. (2024). CONCEPTUALIZATION OF HAPPINESS ACROSS CULTURES AND ROLE OF RELIGION: A THEMATIC ANALYSIS ON YOUNG ADULTS. Journal of Arts & Social Sciences, 11(2), 25-33.

Javaid,Z.K., Kabeer, F., & Kareem, A. (2025). Impact of Friendship Circle on University Students’ Perception, Attitude, Behavior and Academic Performance. Policy Research Journal, 3(1), 617–625. https://policyresearchjournal.com/index.php/1/article/view/324

Kübler-Ross, E. (2009). On death and dying: What the Dying Have to Teach Doctors, Nurses, Clergy and Their Own Families. Taylor & Francis.

Kübler-Ross, E., & Kessler, D. (2005). On grief and grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss. Simon and Schuster.

Lathren, C. R., Rao, S. S., Park, J., & Bluth, K. (2021). Self-Compassion and Current Close Interpersonal Relationships: a Scoping Literature Review. Mindfulness, 12(5), 1078–1093. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01566-5

López, M, G., Viejo, C., & Ortega-Ruiz, R. (2019). Well-Being and Romantic Relationships: A Systematic Review in Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(13), 2415. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16132415

Samios, C., Henson, D. F., & Simpson, H. J. (2014). Benefit finding and psychological adjustment following a Non-Marital relationship breakup. Journal of Relationships Research, 5. https://doi.org/10.1017/jrr.2014.6

Slotter, E. B., & Lucas, G. M. (2012). Validating a measure of self and partner change in romantic relationships: the perceived change in relationships scale. Self and Identity, 12(2), 177–185. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2011.649860

Smith, K., Unibaso-Markaida, I., Macia, P., Fernandez-Villanueva, I., & Corres-Medrano, I. (2024). Development and Validation of a Measure of Expectations Toward Romantic Relationships (ETRR). Acta Psychologica, 251, 104603. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104603

Sprecher, S. (1994). Two sides to the breakup of dating relationships. Personal Relationships, 1(3), 199-222. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.1994.tb00062.x

Stroebe, M. S., & Schut, H. (2001b). Meaning making in the dual process model of coping with bereavement. In American Psychological Association eBooks (pp. 55–73). https://doi.org/10.1037/10397-003

Tashiro, T., & Frazier, P. (2003). “I’ll never be in a relationship like that again”: Personal growth following romantic relationship breakups. Personal Relationships, 10(1), 113-128. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6811.00039

Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (1996). The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory: Measuring the positive legacy of trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 9(3), 455-471. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.2490090305

Tran, K., Castiglioni, L., Walper, S., & Lux, U. (2023). Resolving relationship dissolution—What predicts emotional adjustment after breakup? Family Process, 63(3), 1157–1170. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12914

Watt, A. S. J., Kidd, M., Roos, A., Lesch, E., & Seedat, S. (2023). Romantic relationship dissolutions are significantly associated with posttraumatic stress symptoms as compared to a DSM-5 Criterion A event: a case-case–control comparison. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2023.2238585

Xia, M., Chen, Y., & Dunne, S. (2023). What makes people feel loved? An exploratory study on core elements of love across family, romantic, and friend relationships. Family Process, 63(3), 1304–1318. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12873

Zacchilli, T. L., Hendrick, C., & Hendrick, S. S. (2009). The romantic partner conflict scale: A new scale to measure relationship conflict. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 26(8), 1073–1096. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407509347936

Zoppolat, G., Righetti, F., Faure, R., & Schneider, I. K. (2023). A Systematic study of Ambivalence and Well-Being in Romantic Relationships. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 15(3), 329–339. https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506231165585

Downloads

Published

31.01.2025

How to Cite

Development of Breakup Grief Scale for Young Adults in Intimate Relationship. (2025). PAKISTAN JOURNAL OF LAW, ANALYSIS AND WISDOM, 4(1), 1-8. https://pjlaw.com.pk/index.php/Journal/article/view/v4i1-1-8

Similar Articles

1-10 of 324

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.