Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Looking at the Bright Side: Forgiveness and Subjective Well-Being in Divorced Spanish Parents

  • Research Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Happiness Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Marriage dissolution might cause frustration, resentment and pain. Forgiveness is view as an adaptive reaction that has positive effects on post-divorce adjustment and coparenting; but much remains unknown about the place of forgiveness in the subjective well-being of divorced parents. The objective of the present study was to analyze in a multidimensional model the role played by forgiveness in post-divorce subjective well-being, empirically examining the relationships between time since divorce, affect (positive and negative), forgiveness and satisfaction with life in a group of Spanish divorced parents. Data were collected from 223 divorced Spanish parents (58.3 % mothers) aged 21–64 years, and who had 1–3 children. Results showed that forgiveness and time since divorce partially mediated the effect of positive affect on satisfaction with life: individuals with high levels of positive affect, over time, were more forgiving of their ex-spouses, which in turn enhanced their satisfaction with life. The present study complements the existing literature about the importance of forgiveness in post-divorce coparenting highlighting the place of forgiveness in the subjective well-being of divorced parents.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Amato, P. R. (2010). Research on divorce: Continuing trends and new developments. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72, 650–666.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amato, P. R., & James, S. (2010). Divorce in Europe and the United States: Commonalities and differences across nations. Family Science, 1, 2–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Atienza, F., Balaguer, I., & Garcia-Merita, M. (2003). Satisfaction with Life Scale: Analysis of factorial invariance across sexes. Personality and Individual Differences, 35, 1255–1260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bauer, J. J., McAdams, D. P., & Pals, J. L. (2008). Narrative identity and eudaimonic well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 9, 81–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bentler, P. M. (1990). Comparative fit indices in structural models. Psychological Bulletin, 107, 238–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bierman, A., Fazio, E. M., & Milkie, M. A. (2006). A multifaceted approach to the mental health advantage of the married: Assessing how explanations vary by outcome measure and unmarried group. Journal of Family Issues, 27, 554–582.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonach, K. (2009). Empirical support for the application of the Forgiveness Intervention Model to postdivorce coparenting. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 50, 38–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bono, G., McCullough, M. E., & Root, L. M. (2008). Forgiveness, feeling connected to others, and well-being: Two longitudinal studies. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34, 182–195.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, R. P., & Phillips, A. (2005). Letting bygones be bygones: Further evidence for the validity of the Tendency to Forgive Scale. Personality and Individual Differences, 38, 627–638.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Browne, M. W., & Cudek, R. (1993). Alternate ways of assessing model fit. In K. A. Bollen & J. S. Long (Eds.), Testing structural equation models (pp. 136–162). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burnette, J. L., McCullough, M. E., Van Tongeren, D. R., & Davis, D. E. (2012). Forgiveness results from integrating information about relationship value and exploitation risk. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38, 345–356.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caunt, B. S., Franklin, J., Brodaty, N. E., & Brodaty, H. (2013). Exploring the causes of subjective well-being: A content analysis of peoples’ recipes for long-term happiness. Journal of Happiness Studies, 14, 475–499.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheung, I., & Olson, J. M. (2013). Sometimes it’s easier to forgive my transgressor than your transgressor: Effects of subjective temporal distance on forgiveness for harm to self or close other. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 43, 195–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Hedonia, eudaimonia, and well-being: An introduction. Journal of Happiness Studies, 9, 1–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delle Fave, A., & Bassi, M. (2009). The contribution of diversity to happiness research. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 4, 205–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delle Fave, A., Brdar, I., Freire, T., Vella-Brodrick, D., & Wissing, M. (2011). The eudaimonic and hedonic components of happiness: Qualitative and quantitative findings. Social Indicators Research, 100, 185–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delle Fave, A., Brdar, I., Wissing, M. P., & Vella-Brodrick, D. A. (2013). Sources and motives for personal meaning in adulthood. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 8, 517–529.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Emmons, R., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with Life Scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Fujita, F., Tay, L., & Biswas-Diener, R. (2012). Purpose, mood, and pleasure in predicting satisfaction judgments. Social Indicators Research, 105, 333–341.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Kanazawa, S., Suh, E. M., & Oishi, S. (2014). Why people are in a generally good mood. Personality and Social Psychology Review. doi:10.1177/1088868314544467.

  • Diener, E., Lucas, R. E., & Scollon, C. N. (2006). Beyond the hedonic treadmill: Revising the adaptation theory of well-being. American Psychologist, 61, 305–314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Oishi, S., & Lucas, R. E. (2009). Subjective well-being: The science of happiness and life satisfaction. In C. N. Snyder & S. J. Lopez (Eds.), Oxford handbook of positive psychology (pp. 187–194). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Douglass, R. P., & Duffy, R. D. (2015). Calling and career adaptability among undergraduate students. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 86, 58–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eurostat. (2014). Marriage and divorce statistics. Retrieved from http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Marriage_and_divorce_statistics

  • Fehr, R., Gelfand, M. J., & Nag, M. (2010). The road to forgiveness: A meta-analytic synthesis of its situational and dispositional correlates. Psychological Bulletin, 136, 894–914.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fincham, F. D., & Beach, S. R. H. (2010). Of memes and marriage: Toward a positive relationship science. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 2, 4–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fincham, F. D., Jackson, H., & Beach, S. R. H. (2005). Transgression severity and forgiveness: Different moderators for objective and subjective severity. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 24, 860–875.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harris, A. H. S., & Thoresen, C. E. (2005). Forgiveness, unforgiveness, health, and disease. In L. Everett & J. Worthington (Eds.), Handbook of forgiveness (pp. 321–333). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harzer, C., & Ruch, W. (2013). The application of signature character strengths and positive experiences at work. Journal of Happiness Studies, 14, 965–983.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, L. W., & Knight, T. (2012). Integrating the hedonic and eudaimonic perspectives to more comprehensively understand wellbeing and pathways to wellbeing. International Journal of Wellbeing, 2, 196–221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hilton, J. M., & Kopera-Frye, K. (2006). Loss and depression in cohabiting and noncohabiting custodial single parents. The Family Journal, 14, 28–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hodgson, L. K., & Wertheim, E. H. (2007). Does good emotion management aid forgiving? Multiple dimensions of empathy, emotion management and forgiveness of self and others. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 24, 931–949.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hopper, J. (2001). The symbolic origins of conflict in divorce. Journal of Marriage and Family, 63, 430–445.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6, 1–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kearns, J. N., & Fincham, F. D. (2004). A prototype analysis of forgiveness. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30, 838–855.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim-Prieto, C., Diener, E., Tamir, M., Scollon, C., & Diener, M. (2005). Integrating the diverse definitions of happiness: A time-sequential framework of subjective well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 6, 261–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koenig Kellas, J., Bean, D., Cunningham, C., & Cheng, K. Y. (2008). The ex-files: Trajectories, turning points, and adjustment in the development of post-dissolutional relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 25, 23–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lamela, D., Figueiredo, B., & Bastos, A. (2014). The Portuguese version of the Psychological Adjustment to Separation Test-Part A (PAST-A): A study with recently and non-recently divorced adults. Journal of Happiness Studies, 15, 387–406.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lucas, R. E. (2005). Time does not heal all wounds: A longitudinal study of reaction and adaptation to divorce. Psychological Science, 16, 945–950.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luhmann, M., & Eid, M. (2009). Does it really feel the same? Changes in life satisfaction following repeated life events. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 97, 363–381.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luhmann, M., Hawkley, L. C., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2014). Thinking about one’s subjective well-being: Average trends and individual differences. Journal of Happiness Studies, 15, 757–781.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luhmann, M., Hofmann, W., Eid, M., & Lucas, R. E. (2012). Subjective well-being and adaptation to life events: A meta-analysis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 102, 592–615.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maltby, J., Day, L., & Barber, L. (2005). Forgiveness and happiness, the differing contexts of forgiveness using the distinction between hedonic and eudaimonic happiness. Journal of Happiness Studies, 6, 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marks, M. J., Trafimow, D., Busche, L. K., & Oates, K. N. (2013). A function of forgiveness: Exploring the relationship between negative mood and forgiving. SAGE Open, 3, 2158244013507267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maxwell, S. E., Cole, D. A., & Mitchell, M. A. (2011). Bias in cross-sectional analyses of longitudinal mediation: Partial and complete mediation under an autoregressive model. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 46, 816–841.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCullough, M. E., Bellah, C. G., Kilpatrick, S. D., & Johnson, J. L. (2001). Vengefulness: Relationships with forgiveness, rumination, well-being, and the Big Five. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27, 601–610.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCullough, M. E., Fincham, F. D., & Tsang, J. (2003). Forgiveness, forbearance, and time: The temporal unfolding of transgression-related interpersonal motivations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 540–557.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCullough, M. E., Root, L. M., Tabak, B., & Witvliet, C. (2009). Forgiveness. In S. J. Lopez & C. R. Snyder (Eds.), Oxford handbook of positive psychology (2nd ed., pp. 427–435). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, A. J., & Worthington, E. L, Jr. (2010). Sex differences in forgiveness and mental health in recently married couples. Journal of Positive Psychology, 5, 12–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, A. J., Worthington, E. L, Jr, & McDaniel, M. A. (2008). Gender and forgiveness: A meta-analytic review and research agenda. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 8, 843–876.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, M. A., & Maxwell, S. E. (2013). A comparison of the cross-sectional and sequential designs when assessing longitudinal mediation. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 48, 301–339.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muñoz-Sastre, M. T., Vinsonneau, G., Neto, F., Girard, M., & Mullet, E. (2003). Forgivingness and satisfaction with life. Journal of Happiness Studies, 4, 323–335.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pavot, W., & Diener, E. (2008). The Satisfaction with Life Scale and the emerging construct of life satisfaction. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 3, 137–152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rey, L., & Extremera, N. (2014). Positive psychological characteristics and interpersonal forgiveness: Identifying the unique contribution of emotional intelligence abilities, Big Five traits, gratitude and optimism. Personality and Individual Differences, 68, 199–204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riek, B. M., & Mania, E. W. (2012). The antecedents and consequences of interpersonal forgiveness: A meta-analytic review. Personal Relationships, 19, 304–325.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Root, B. L., & Exline, J. J. (2011). Gender differences in response to experimental forgiveness prompts: Do men show stronger responses than women? Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 33, 182–193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rye, M. S., Fleri, A. M., Moore, C. D., Worthington, E. L, Jr, Wade, N. G., Sandage, S. J., & Cook, K. M. (2012). Evaluation of an intervention designed to help divorced parents forgive their ex-spouse. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 53, 231–245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rye, M. S., Folck, C. D., Heim, T. A., Oswlzewski, B. T., & Traina, E. (2004). Forgiveness of an ex-spouse: How does it relate to mental health following a divorce? Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 41, 31–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rye, M. S., Pargament, K. I., Pan, W., Yingling, D. W., Shogren, K. A., & Ito, M. (2005). Can group interventions facilitate forgiveness of an ex-spouse? A randomized clinical trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73, 880–892.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sbarra, D. A. (2015). Divorce and health: Current trends and future directions. Psychosomatic Medicine, 77, 227–236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strelan, P., & Covic, T. (2006). A review of forgiveness process models and a coping framework to guide future research. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 25, 1059–1085.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strelan, P., & Wojtysiak, N. (2009). Strategies for coping with interpersonal hurt: Preliminary evidence for the relationship between coping and forgiveness. Counseling and Values, 53, 97–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Takaku, S. (2006). Reducing road rage: An application of the dissonance-attribution model of interpersonal forgiveness. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 36, 2362–2378.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Toussaint, L., & Friedman, P. (2009). Forgiveness, gratitude, and well-being: The mediating role of affect and beliefs. Journal of Happiness Studies, 10, 635–654.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Toussaint, L. L., Williams, D. R., Musick, M. A., & Everson, S. A. (2001). Forgiveness and health: Age differences in a U.S. probability sample. Journal of Adult Development, 8, 249–257.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vázquez, C., Duque, A., & Hervás, G. (2013). Satisfaction with life scale in a representative sample of Spanish adults: Validation and normative data. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 16, E82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vittersø, J., & Søholt, Y. (2011). Life satisfaction goes with pleasure and personal growth goes with interest: Further arguments for separating hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 6, 326–335.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warner, R. M., & Vroman, K. G. (2011). Happiness inducing behaviors in everyday life: An empirical assessment of “the how of happiness”. Journal of Happiness Studies, 12, 1063–1082.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warr, P., Barter, J., & Brown-Bridge, G. (1983). On the independence of positive and negative affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44, 644–651.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weiss, R. S. (1975). Marital separation. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wirtz, D., Chiu, C. Y., Diener, E., & Oishi, S. (2009). What constitutes a good life? Cultural differences in the role of positive and negative affect in subjective well-being. Journal of Personality, 77, 1167–1196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Witvliet, C. V. O., Knoll, R. W., Hinman, N. G., & DeYoung, P. A. (2010). Compassion-focused reappraisal, benefit-focused reappraisal, and rumination after an interpersonal offense: Emotion-regulation implications for subjective emotion, linguistic responses, and physiology. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 5, 226–242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wohl, M. J. A., & McGrath, A. L. (2007). The perception of time heals all wounds: Temporal distance affects willingness to forgive following an interpersonal transgression. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33, 1023–1035.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Worthington, E. L., Jr, Kurusu, T. A., Collins, W., Berry, J. W., Ripley, J. S., & Baier, S. N. (2000). Forgiving usually takes time: A lesson learned by studying interventions to promote forgiveness. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 28, 3–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Worthington, E. L., Jr, & Wade, N. G. (1999). The psychology of unforgiveness and forgiveness and implications for clinical practice. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 18, 385–418.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yárnoz Yaben, S., Comino, P., & Sansinenea, E. (2014). La PNA-10, una escala breve para evaluar el afecto positivo y negativo en español (PNA-10, a short scale for the evaluation of positive and negative affect in Spanish). Behavioral Psychology/Psicología Conductua, l, 22, 327–343.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yárnoz-Yaben, S. (2009). Forgiveness, attachment and divorce. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 50, 282–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yárnoz-Yaben, S. (2010). Hacia la coparentalidad post-divorcio: Percepción del apoyo recibido de la ex pareja en progenitors divorciados españoles (Towards post-divorce coparenting: Perception of support from the ex partner in Spanish divorced parents). International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 10, 295–307.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yárnoz-Yaben, S. (2015). Forgiveness, adjustment to divorce and support from the former spouse in Spain. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24, 289–297.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yárnoz-Yaben, S., & Comino, P. (2012). Un instrumento para la evaluación del perdón en el ámbito del divorcio y la separación (An instrument for the assessment of forgiveness in divorce and separation). International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy, 12, 49–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhu, H. (2014). Social support and affect balance mediate the association between forgiveness and life satisfaction. Advanced on-line publication. Social Indicators Research, 1–11. doi:10.1007/s11205-014-0790-8.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Avda de Tolosa 70, 20018, San Sebastián, Spain

    Sagrario Yárnoz-Yaben & Alaitz Garmendia

  2. Department of Social Psychology and Methodology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria, Spain

    Priscila Comino

Authors
  1. Sagrario Yárnoz-Yaben
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Alaitz Garmendia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Priscila Comino
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sagrario Yárnoz-Yaben.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yárnoz-Yaben, S., Garmendia, A. & Comino, P. Looking at the Bright Side: Forgiveness and Subjective Well-Being in Divorced Spanish Parents. J Happiness Stud 17, 1905–1919 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-015-9677-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-015-9677-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation