中華心理衛生協會

Purpose: Romantic relationships provide opportunities for adolescents to explore ways to build intimacy. Experiencing romantic breakups can be a stressful life event that increases vulnerability to post-traumatic stress-like symptoms. In this study we examined the mediating role of forgiveness between self-appraisal (perceived harm and anger) and PTSD-like symptoms after breakups. Method: The study began from January 2012 to August 2012, and we administered questionnaires to 175 college students (122 females and 55 males) who had had at least one breakup experience. Participants were given 5 minutes to recall and write down their last breakup experience, and then they completed the Forgiveness Scale, the Impact of Event Scale, and the Negative Emotion Appraisals Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS to perform correlation, ANOVA, and mediation analyses. Results: The analyses showed that perceived harm and anger were positively associated with distress. People who were rejected experienced more harm and anger than people who initiated the breakup. Forgiveness partially mediated the relationship among perceived harm and distress, avoidance, and intrusion. Forgiveness also fully mediated the relationships between anger and distress, anger and avoidance, and anger and intrusion. Conclusion: The results illustrate the impact of romantic relationship dissolution on young adults, and suggest that forgiveness can be used as an effective tool to regulate distress.