Abstract
BackgroundForgiveness is linked with well-being, and social and health research has focused on the role and aspects of forgiveness that has been recently suggested as a phenomenon of public health importance. The Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS) was developed gathering three subscales to assess the forgiveness of others, forgiveness of self, and forgiveness of situation. The present study aimed to adapt the HFS into European Portuguese, and investigate its reliability and validity.MethodsTranslation and cross-cultural adaptation were conducted using a multistep forward-back translation process. Internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach’s alpha. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to verify that the factor structure is the same as in the original HFS. The short version of the Ruminative Response Scale (RRS) and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) were used to examine convergent validity.ResultsA sample of 222 university students, selected through convenience sampling, was used to access the validity of the European Portuguese version of the HFS (EPHFS). Cronbach’s alpha for the European Portuguese HFS subscales were 0.777, 0.814 and 0.816 for Self, Others and Situation, respectively, indicating acceptable reliability. The 3-factor model of the original HFS was replicated in confirmatory factor analysis. As expected by evidence in the literature, positive and statistically significant correlations were found between SWLS and HFS and subscales. RRS showed negative and statistically significant correlations with HFS and subscales.ConclusionsThe European Portuguese version of the HFS presented acceptable internal consistency, construct validity and confirmed the three-factor structure of the original HFS.
Highlights
Forgiveness has gained an increasing focus in social and health research
For assessing the convergent validity of the new instrument, we examined to which extent the Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS) measure of forgiveness is correlated with the Ruminative Response Scale (RRS) and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS)
The model with only first-order factors resulted in an initial model with correlated factors of self, other and situation, and not adequate fit: χ2(132) = 325.046, p < 0.001; Tucker–Lewis index (TLI) = 0.833; Comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.856; Root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.081 with 90% confidence interval (CI) [0.070, 0.093]; Standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) = 0.077
Summary
Forgiveness has gained an increasing focus in social and health research. Forgiveness has been positively associated to global mental health [4], linked with longevity and improved physical health [5]. The tendency to forgive refers to the forgiveness at the level of a global disposition, across relationships and situations [7]. Forgiveness of situations is a component of dispositional forgiveness, being related to, but distinct from, forgiveness of others and self [2]. Forgiveness of situations and self may be important factors for the connection between psychological well-being and forgiveness [2]. Forgiveness is linked with well-being, and social and health research has focused on the role and aspects of forgiveness that has been recently suggested as a phenomenon of public health importance. The present study aimed to adapt the HFS into European Portuguese, and investigate its reliability and validity
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