Reconsidering the Association Between Divine Forgiveness and Depressive Symptoms Among Christians and Muslims in the...

The purpose of this research was to investigate the interplay between divine forgiveness and religiosity in their association with an indicator of psychological distress, depressive symptoms. Two studies tested whether religiosity moderated the relationship between divine forgiveness and depressive symptoms. Using an online survey, the first study (N = 440) investigated a predominantly female, White, and Christian sample of emerging adults, whereas the second (N = 105) used a community sample of Muslims. Both studies showed that religiosity moderated the association between divine forgiveness and depressive symptoms, in that the relation between divine forgiveness and depressive symptoms was stronger for people more intensely involved in their religion than those showing lower levels of religiosity. The current research replicated past findings showing a relationship between divine forgiveness and depressive symptoms when religiosity is controlled but offers novel findings in showing that these act synergistically in their relation to depressive symptoms. The substantive and methodological implications of these findings are discussed.