Let Me Hear of Your Mercy in the Mourning: Forgiveness, Grief, and Continuing Bonds

Abstract

Clarity about the utility of continuing bonds (CB) continues to be evasive in the research. In 2 different correlational studies, the authors explored the relationship between CB and 2 other variables: 1 representing mental health (forgiveness of the deceased) and the other representing psychological distress (prolonged grief). Although researchers have addressed the latter relationship in the literature, assessing the relationship between CB and forgiveness has not been undertaken. Results suggest that forgiveness in general, and affective aspects of forgiveness in particular, predict psychological forms of CB. Results related to grief depended on how CB was assessed. These findings provide evidence of the relative health of certain types of relationship with deceased persons and also suggest that forgiveness interventions may be a way of promoting such healthy bonds.

Notes

Note: Pos = positive, Neg = negative, Affect = Affective Forgiveness, Cognition = Cognitive Forgiveness, -Behavior = Behavioral Forgiveness, SRF = 1-item self-report forgiveness, Pseudo = pseudoforgiveness, PG = Prolonged Grief, CB = Continuing Bonds, G-Anx = general attachment anxiety, G-Av = general attachment avoidance. Correlations between the six forgiveness subscales (excluding overall score and pseudoforgiveness score) range from .282 to .676. Correlations between pseudoforgiveness score and subscale scores range from −.070 to .426.

+p < .10.

*p < .05.

**p < .01.

Note: Pos = positive, Neg = negative, Affect = Affective Forgiveness, Cognition = Cognitive Forgiveness, -Behavior = ↑Behavioral Forgiveness, SRF = 1-item self-report forgiveness, Pseudo = pseudoforgiveness, PG = Prolonged Grief, CB = Continuing Bonds, G-Anx = general attachment anxiety, G-Av = general attachment avoidance. Correlations between the six forgiveness subscales (excluding total subscale and overall scores and pseudoforgiveness score) range from .682 to .922. Correlations between pseduoforgiveness score and subscale scores range from .135 to .260.

+p < .10.

*p < .05.

**p < .01.

Note: Pos = positive, Neg = negative, Aff = affective forgiveness, Beh = behavioral forgiveness, Cog = cognitive forgiveness, Tot Forg = overall forgiveness, SRF = 1-item self-reported forgiveness. Adj R² = adjusted proportion of total variance accounted for by the final regression model; ΔR² = proportion of variance added by entering forgiveness variable at last step; β = standardized beta weight for the forgiveness variable in the final model.

+p < .10.

*p < .05.

**p < .01.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Gregory J. Lengel

Gregory J. Lengel is now a clinical psychology graduate student at the Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University.