Prospective Associations between Religiousness/Spirituality and Depression and Mediating Effects of Forgiveness in a Nationally Representative Sample of United States Adults

Table 1

Forgiveness scales, items, and alphas.

Scale (alpha)
Forgiveness of self (𝛼=.67)
I often feel that no matter what I do now I will never make up
for the mistakes I have made in the past.^a
I find it hard to forgive myself for some of the things I have
done wrong.^a
Forgiven by God (𝛼=.64)
Knowing that I am forgiven for my sins gives me the strength to
face my faults and be a better person.^a
I know that God forgives me.^a
Forgiveness of others (𝛼=.72)
When someone hurts you, how often do you hold resentment
or keep it inside?^b
When someone hurts you, how often do you try to get even in
some way?^b
When someone hurts you, how often do you try to forgive the
other person?^b
I have grudges that I have held on for months or years.^a
I have forgiven those who have hurt me.^a
Seeking forgiveness (𝛼=.64)
How often do you ask God’s forgiveness when the respondent
had hurt someone?^b
How often do you ask the other person’s forgiveness when the
respondent had hurt someone?^b
How often do you pray for someone who had hurt the
respondent?^b

^aResponse scale: strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree.
^bResponse scale: never, hardly ever, not too often, fairly often, and very often.