Forgiveness and wellbeing after spinal cord injury: Perceived stress and adaptation to disability as mediators.

Abstract

Purpose/Objective: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a life-altering acquired disability. Understanding factors that contribute to adaption to disability and decreased SCI-related stress are critical to personal wellbeing and quality of life for SCI patients. Previous research suggests that forgiveness of others, self-forgiveness, and overall forgiveness are associated with psychological well-being in patients with other chronic illnesses. As such, dimensions of forgiveness may be relevant factors in restoring wellness in SCI patients. This study sought to examine a comprehensive model of the impact of forgiveness on multidimensional indicators of wellness. Research Method/Design: We tested a path model of the impact of trait forgiveness on wellbeing outcomes in adults living with SCI (N = 312). Specifically, we examined 2 mediating pathways—lower perceived stress and higher adaption to disability—by which dimensions of trait forgiveness (self, others, and situations) may influence wellbeing outcomes (psychological wellbeing, satisfaction with life, and perceived physical health). Results: The final path model (χ2 = 41.3, p < .001; CFI = .97; RMSEA = .09) suggests that 2 dimensions of forgiveness—self and situations—were significant negative predictors of perceived stress and positive predictors of adaptation to disability. In turn, perceived stress was a significant negative predictor of all 3 wellbeing outcomes and adaptation to disability was a significant positive predictor of all 3 wellbeing outcomes. Conclusions/Implications: Forgiveness of self and situations are resilience factors in individuals with SCI, suggesting targets for future interventions to improve wellbeing in this population.

The mediating effect of forgiveness on the relationship between spirituality and psychological well-being in adults with history of childhood bullying

“…This indicates that an individual's ability to forgive is positively associated with their level of psychological well-being. This finding is consistent with several previous studies that have investigated the effectiveness of forgiveness and concluded that forgiveness not only provides relief and a fresh start in life, but also lowers levels of depression, anxiety, and stress while increasing psychological well-being (Cornish et al, 2022;Ekawardhani et al, 2019;Juwita & Kustanti, 2020;Wade et al, 2014). Individuals who are capable of forgiveness are not able to change the events that caused them harm, but forgiveness has been shown to enable people to adjust their perspectives, emotions, mental associations, and understanding of the meaning of unpleasant events.…”

“…This study is unique in focusing on the adult experience of bullying, an area less researched than that related to adolescents (Juwita & Kustanti, 2020;Quintana-Orts et al, 2021;Shaver et al, 2022). Previous studies also focus solely on the association between forgiveness and psychological well-being (Cornish et al, 2022;Ekawardhani et al, 2019) or spirituality and psychological well-being (Basileyo, 2019;Gireyhan, 2022). Therefore, the relationship between forgiveness, spirituality, and psychological well-being needs further exploration.…”