Pathways to Flourishing: The Roles of Self- and Divine Forgiveness in Mitigating the Adverse Effects of Stress and Substance Use among Adults in Trinidad and Tobago

The present study focused on the roles of self-forgiveness and feeling divine forgiveness in mitigating the adverse effects of stress on substance use cravings in Trinidad and Tobago. We assessed 869 individuals (62 percent of whom were women) through self-report online questionnaires. A moderation...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inReligions (Basel, Switzerland ) Vol. 15; no. 9; p. 1060
Main Authors Skalski-Bednarz, Sebastian Binyamin, Webb, Jon R, Wilson, Colwick M, Toussaint, Loren L, Surzykiewicz, Janusz, Reid, Sandra D, Williams, David R, Worthington, Everett L
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.09.2024
Subjects
Addictions
Addictive behaviors
Alcohol
Behavior
Care and treatment
Coping
divine forgiveness
Drug use
Emotions
flourishing
Forgiveness
Health aspects
Mental health
Religion
Religious aspects
Self compassion
self-forgiveness
Spirituality
Stress
Stress (Psychology)
Substance abuse
substance misuse
substance use
Trinidad and Tobago
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Summary:The present study focused on the roles of self-forgiveness and feeling divine forgiveness in mitigating the adverse effects of stress on substance use cravings in Trinidad and Tobago. We assessed 869 individuals (62 percent of whom were women) through self-report online questionnaires. A moderation analysis using the PROCESS macro and a bootstrapping strategy (N = 5000) revealed that greater levels of self-forgiveness weakened the positive relationship between stress and substance use cravings, though the relationship remained significant. This moderating effect was evident only when individuals reported high levels of feeling divine forgiveness. The findings suggest that both forms of forgiveness lessen the impact of stress on substance use cravings, highlighting their potential as protective factors and underscoring the importance of incorporating religious and spiritual dimensions into psychological education and intervention. However, the study’s cross-sectional nature makes it difficult to make causal inferences, indicating a need for longitudinal research.
ISSN:2077-1444
2077-1444
DOI:10.3390/rel15091060