Exploring Associations Between Children’s Forgiveness Following Parental Divorce and Psychological Well-Being

Abstract

To better understand the disparity in children’s reactions and experiences related to parental divorce, we explored differences in children’s forgiveness following parental divorce. Using different samples of divorced children (children, adolescents, young adults), the current research tested in four studies the basic prediction that children’s forgiveness is positively associated with their psychological well-being. We found that self-reported forgiveness was positively associated with indicators of psychological well-being, for adolescents and young adults, but not for children in late childhood. Furthermore, there was some indication that forgiveness toward the mother, compared to the father, was more important for well-being. The findings are discussed considering broader theoretical questions how forgiveness in the context of divorce may help to restore parent-child relationships after divorce.