Resentment or Forgiveness? The Assessment of Forgivingness Among Italian Adolescents

Forgivingness, or the dispositional tendency to forgive, is an enduring tendency to forgive transgressions across situations and over time. It can be distinguished from state-forgiveness, which refers to the experience of forgiveness in specific situations. The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Trait- Forgivingness Scale (TFS) in Italian adolescents. Participants were 921 middle and high school students (58% females), ranging from 12 to 19 years of age (M = 15.9, SD = 2.04). The results of Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) supported the one-factorial structure of the scale, and showed an acceptable measurement invariance across gender and a partial invariance of the scales across age. Correlations supported the scales’ construct and discriminant validity. The correlation between the TFS and other indicators of forgiveness ranged from strong to moderate supporting its convergent validity. The Italian version of the TFS presents good psychometric properties and therefore can be considered a reliable and valid instrument.