Citation

Haversath J, Kliem S, Kröger C. Fam. Relat. 2017; 66(5): 809-823.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, National Council on Family Relations (USA), Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/fare.12290

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To validate the German version of the Marital Offence--Specific Forgiveness Scale (MOFS-German). Background Forgiveness has positive effects on several relational variables. The MOFS (Paleari et al., 2009) is a useful instrument for measuring forgiveness in romantic relationships.

METHOD Using a representative sample of individuals in the German population (N = 1,396), we conducted a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and analyzed internal consistency as well as associations with other measures. Then, using a sample of couples (N = 348), we analyzed dyadic data with hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) for convergent validity and subgroup differences.

RESULTS The two-factor structure was replicated in the CFA. The dimensions Benevolence and Resentment/Avoidance showed acceptable internal consistency values, and their associations to other self-report measures supported convergent validity. Couples in counseling reported less Benevolence and more Resentment/Avoidance than couples not in counseling, and men reported more Benevolence and less Resentment/Avoidance than women.

CONCLUSIONS Findings support the MOFS-German's ability to assess spousal forgiveness, including differences between men and women as well as between couples in counseling and couples not in counseling. Implications The MOFS-German may now be used in the standardized assessment of marital forgiveness by clinicians and researchers.

Language: en

Keywords

Couple/marital/romantic relationships; dyadic data; gender differences; statistical methods