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Resentment or Forgiveness? The Assessment of Forgivingness Among Italian Adolescents

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Abstract

Forgivingness, or the dispositional tendency to forgive, is an enduring tendency to forgive transgressions across situations and over time. It can be distinguished from state-forgiveness, which refers to the experience of forgiveness in specific situations. The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Trait-Forgivingness Scale (TFS) in Italian adolescents. Participants were 921 middle and high school students (58% females), ranging from 12 to 19 years of age (M = 15.9, SD = 2.04). The results of Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) supported the one-factorial structure of the scale, and showed an acceptable measurement invariance across gender and a partial invariance of the scales across age. Correlations supported the scales’ construct and discriminant validity. The correlation between the TFS and other indicators of forgiveness ranged from strong to moderate supporting its convergent validity. The Italian version of the TFS presents good psychometric properties and therefore can be considered a reliable and valid instrument.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Via dei Marsi 78, 00185, Rome, Italy

    Barbara Barcaccia

  2. Associazione di Psicologia Cognitiva APC and Scuola di Psicoterapia Cognitiva srl SPC, Rome, Italy

    Barbara Barcaccia

  3. Department of Education, Roma Tre University, Via Milazzo 11/b, 00185, Rome, Italy

    Michela Milioni, Susanna Pallini & Giovanni Maria Vecchio

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  1. Barbara Barcaccia
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Correspondence to Barbara Barcaccia.

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All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

This study involved human participants, and was conducted in accordance with the requirements of privacy and informed consent laid down by Italian law (Law Decree DL-196/2003). The study adhered to the latest version of the Declaration of Helsinki revised in Fortaleza (World Medical Association [WMA] 2013). In conformity with Italian law, we obtained informed consent from parents of underage students and from students of majority legal age. All students were assured that participation was optional and that their responses would remain anonymous.

Appendix

Appendix

1.1 Trait Forgivingness Scale

——— 2. I can forgive a friend for almost anything.

——— 3. If someone treats me badly, I treat him or her the same (R).

——— 4. I try to forgive others even when they don’t feel guilty for what they did.

——— 5. I can usually forgive and forget an insult.

——— 8. There are some things for which I could never forgive even a loved one (R).

——— 9. I have always forgiven those who have hurt me.

——— 10. I am a forgiving person.

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Barcaccia, B., Milioni, M., Pallini, S. et al. Resentment or Forgiveness? The Assessment of Forgivingness Among Italian Adolescents. Child Ind Res 11, 1407–1423 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-017-9483-6

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