Forgiveness moderates relations between psychological abuse and indicators of psychological distress among women in romantic relationships

Forgiveness frequently occurs in a relational context and is a key ingredient for restoring and maintainingintimate relationships. Yet, certain interpersonal dynamics that sometimes motivate forgiveness (e.g. abuse)have the potential to adversely affect well-being, especially when ongoing exploitation occurs. In this study,we examined the role of forgiveness in moderating relations between psychological abuse and indicators ofpsychological distress in a sample of community-based South African women currently in a heterosexualromantic relationship. Participants (n=515) completed measures of decisional and emotional forgiveness oftheir partner, psychological abuse committed by their current partner during the course of the relationship,and depression, anxiety, and stress. Latent profile analysis identified two subgroups characterised by differinglevels of forgiveness: partial forgiveness (high decisional forgiveness and moderate emotional forgiveness)and complete forgiveness (high decisional and emotional forgiveness). Regression analyses revealed that therelations of psychological abuse with depression and stress, but not anxiety, were moderated by ‘forgivenessof partner’. The complete forgiveness group scored lower on depression and stress when psychologicalabuse was lower, but higher on each outcome when psychological abuse was higher. The findings suggestthat there may be conditions in which forgiveness of partner may promote or undermine the mental health ofwomen who experience abuse perpetrated by their current partner.