Examining the relationship between adults' childhood traumatic experiences and levels of empathy and xenophobia

In this study, the relationship between childhood traumatic experiences, empathy, and levels of xenophobia among adults was examined. The study group consisted of a total of 797 adult participants, accessed through a convenient sampling method, with 596 females and 201 males. To gather information about participants' demographic characteristics such as gender, age group, relationship status, region of residence in Turkey, and educational levels, a Personal Information Form was used. Empathy Quotient (EQ) was used to measure empathy levels, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-33) was used to determine levels of childhood traumatic experiences, and Xenophobia Scale (XQ) was applied to assess xenophobic attitudes. Data from the study were analyzed using Independent Samples t-Test, Mann Whitney U Test, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Kruskal Wallis Test, Pearson Correlation Analysis, and Multiple Regression Analysis. The significance level for testing the research hypotheses was considered at a minimum of p<.05. The results of the correlation analysis indicated a significant, negative relationship between childhood traumatic experiences and empathy levels. No significant relationship was found between the levels of xenophobia and childhood traumatic experiences. However, a significant, positive relationship was observed between xenophobia levels and empathy levels. The results of the regression analysis further revealed that levels of empathy and childhood traumatic experiences significantly predicted xenophobia. The findings obtained from the data analysis have been discussed, and recommendations for future research have been provided. Keywords: Childhood traumas, xenophobia, empathy, adult, migration