The Relationship between Basic Hope and Depression: Forgiveness as a Mediator
1Department of Psychology, The Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, ul. Krakowska 11, 25-029, Kielce, Poland. k_kaleta@wp.pl.
The Psychiatric Quarterly
|May 4, 2020
Summary
Hope and forgiveness significantly impact depression. This study found that the tendency to forgive acts as a key mechanism, fully or partially mediating the link between basic hope and reduced depressive symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Mental Health Research
Background:
- Hope and forgiveness are negatively correlated with depression.
- The mediating role of forgiveness in the hope-depression relationship remains under-investigated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine a theoretical model where forgiveness mediates the relationship between basic hope and depressive symptoms.
- To investigate the influence of dispositional forgiveness (of self, others, and uncontrollable situations) on this mediation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Polish adaptations of the Basic Hope Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and Heartland Forgiveness Scale.
- Sample comprised 77 psychotherapy outpatients.
- Assessed both negative and positive aspects of dispositional forgiveness.
Main Results:
- General forgiveness and overcoming unforgiveness fully mediated the relationship between basic hope and depression.
- The positive dimension of forgiveness partially mediated this relationship.
- Findings suggest forgiveness may be a mechanism reducing depression risk.
Conclusions:
- The tendency to forgive plays a crucial role in the relationship between hope and depression.
- Cultivating forgiveness may be a viable strategy for mitigating depressive symptoms in individuals with basic hope.
- This study provides empirical support for forgiveness as a psychological mechanism influencing mental well-being.
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