Open Access

ARTICLE

Effect of Father Absence on Gratitude and Forgiveness: The Mediating Role of Resilience

Yanhui Xiang^1,2,#, Rui Hu^2,#, Hui Chen², Xiaojun Li^3,*
1 Teacher Education College, Hunan City University, Yiyang, 413000, China
2 Department of Psychology, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410000, China
3 School of Teacher Education, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, Nanjing, China
* Corresponding Author: Xiaojun Li. Email: lxjxz6@163.com
# These authors are the co-first authors

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2023.028301

Received 12 December 2022; Accepted 26 April 2023; Published online 07 November 2023

Abstract

Father absence has long been a popular issue in the research field of psychology due to its influence on adolescent well-being and development. Empirical studies have demonstrated the detrimental effects of father absence, for example, resulting in disruptions in prosocial qualities like gratitude and forgiveness. However, the mediating factor between them still remains unclear. Hence, this study aims to explore the mediating role of resilience in the influence of father absence on gratitude and forgiveness. 1951 participants completed the Revision of the Father Absence Questionnaire, the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale, the Gratitude Questionnaire–6 and the Tendency to Forgive Scale. The results showed that: Father absence was negatively associated with gratitude and forgiveness. Moreover, we found that resilience played a mediating role between father absence and gratitude and forgiveness. The findings demonstrate that the undesirable effects of father absence on prosocial qualities may be ameliorated by intervening the mediating factor among them. In other words, improving the resilience of individuals with paternity deficiency may help improve their gratitude and forgiveness, which is of great significance for the intervention of prosocial quality in individuals with paternity deficiency.

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Keywords

Father absence; resilience; gratitude; forgiveness; structural equation model

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