Gaslighting, Emotional Abuse, and Mental Health in Adults’ Romantic Relationships

Abstract

Background: Emotional abuse and gaslighting in romantic relationships are increasingly recognized as serious threats to young adults’ mental health, yet limited empirical research has explored their independent and combined effects, particularly within non-Western cultural contexts. Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationships among gaslighting, emotional abuse, and mental well-being in young adults involved in romantic relationships, and to evaluate their predictive effects and potential gender differences. Methods: A cross-sectional correlational design was employed with a sample of university students (n = 204; 108 men, 96 women), aged 18–35, from the University of Management and Technology, Lahore. Participants currently or previously involved in a romantic relationship of at least four months were included. Standardized tools—the Gaslighting Relationship Exposure Inventory, the Emotional Abuse Questionnaire, and the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale—were administered. Ethical approval was obtained from the UMT Ethics Committee in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS v27, employing Pearson correlation, multiple linear regression, and independent t-tests. Results: Emotional abuse significantly predicted reduced mental well-being (β = −0.30, p < .01), while gaslighting, though correlated with both emotional abuse (r = 0.49, p < .01) and mental well-being (r = −0.15, p < .01), was not a significant predictor. No gender differences were observed across variables. Conclusion: Emotional abuse exerts a stronger negative impact on mental well-being than gaslighting, though both are harmful. These findings underscore the need for early psychosocial screening and gender-inclusive interventions targeting emotional abuse in young adult populations.