Associations of dispositional forgivingness with facets of well‐being among Colombian adults: A longitudinal outcome‐wide analysis

Abstract

Many studies have reported evidence suggesting that dispositional forgivingness has positive implications for different domains of well‐being. However, relatively few methodologically rigorous studies have been conducted in the Global South, particularly in post‐conflict settings where forgiveness could play an important role in supporting individual well‐being. In this three‐wave cohort study of predominantly young adult Colombians (n = 1575), we examined the associations of dispositional forgivingness with 20 well‐being outcomes across several domains of well‐being: psychological distress, psychological well‐being, physical health, social well‐being, and character strengths/virtues. Using an outcome‐wide analytic design that included extensive control for potential confounding and reverse causation by adjusting for a range of covariates assessed in Wave 1 (2017), we found that dispositional forgivingness assessed in Wave 2 (2018) was at least modestly associated with improvements in one or more facet of each well‐being domain assessed approximately 1 year later in Wave 3 (2019). Associations tended to be stronger for outcomes in the domains of psychological distress, psychological well‐being, social well‐being, and character strengths/virtues compared to the physical health domain. These longitudinal findings suggest that dispositional forgivingness might promote individual well‐being in societies with a long history of ongoing civil unrest, conflict, and war.

Perceived posttraumatic growth after interpersonal trauma and subsequent well-being among young Colombian adults: A longitudinal analysis

“…For both sets of analyses, we report the statistical significance ( p < 0.05) of effect estimates both before and after applying Bonferroni corrections. Consistent with previous studies (e.g., Cowden et al, 2022a ), we focus our interpretation on the unadjusted results because recommendations and practices of correcting for multiple testing vary and are constantly evolving. Based on the analytic approach used in the primary and secondary analyses, the results can be interpreted as the estimated effect of change in perceived PTG from Wave 1 to Wave 2 (or incident perceived PTG) on the change in each outcome from Wave 1 to Wave 3.…”

Forgiveness, rumination, and self‐control as the predictors of adolescent life satisfaction: A comparison of two serial mediational models

“…When forgiveness is offered after an offending experience, it erases the traces of the experience, reduces conflict in the relationship, shows more positive behavior, improves one's cognitive functioning (Gumus & Kislak, 2019), and make one sustain more satisfaction in essential life domains (Cowden et al, 2022). The self‐control ability of adolescents could reduce the ruminative thinking level so as to improve the positive impact of forgiveness on their life satisfaction.…”

Four key areas of interpersonal forgiveness research that have developed over the last three decades: A reflection and tribute to Everett l. Worthington Jr.

“…As a result, even when forgiveness is studied alongside indicators of physical health and well-being, causal interpretations are often limited by methodological issues that can make it difficult to discern the nature of the relationship between forgiveness and a particular outcome. For example, in the instance that a null finding is observed between forgiveness and self-rated physical symptoms when both variables have been assessed contemporaneously, it is not possible to determine whether this finding might be because the two variables are actually unrelated in the target population, whether the benefits of forgiving might have been overwhelmed by existing physical health problems, or whether there is a causal relation but that the benefits of forgiveness for physical health might take months or years to accrue (Cowden, Chen, et al, 2023).…”