Keywords

forgiveness, adolescence, parenting, relationships

Abstract

This study examined how mother and father–child relationship quality and marital forgiveness were related to early adolescents’ forgiveness of mothers and fathers. Adolescents’ social-cognitive skills (empathy and emotional regulation) and parents’ forgiveness of child were examined as mediators. Mother, father, and child self-reported questionnaires and observational data were taken from Time 1 and Time 3 (two years later) of the Flourishing Families Project, and included 334 two-parent families with an early adolescent (M age at Time 1 = 11.24; 51% male; 76% Caucasian). Using path analyses via structure equation modeling, mother–child relationship quality and adolescents’ own social-cognitive skills were salient correlates of adolescents’ forgiveness toward parents. The unique contributions of mothers and fathers, differences by reporter, and the importance of studying forgiveness within the parent–child relationship are discussed.

Original Publication Citation

Christensen, K. J., Walker, L. M., Busby, D. M., Hardy, S. A., & Day, R. D. (2011). Relational and social-cognitive correlates of early adolescents’ forgiveness of parents. Journal of Adolescence, 34, 901-913.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2011-02-05

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/7418

Publisher

Journal of Adolescence

Language

English

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Family Life

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

Download

Share

COinS