TY - EJOU AU - Xiang, Yanhui AU - Hu, Rui AU - Chen, Hui AU - Li, Xiaojun TI - Effect of Father Absence on Gratitude and Forgiveness: The Mediating Role of Resilience T2 - International Journal of Mental Health Promotion PY - 2024 VL - 26 IS - 12 SN - 2049-8543 AB - Background: Father absence has long been a popular issue in psychology due to its influence on adolescent well-being and development. Empirical studies have demonstrated the detrimental effects of father absence, such as disruptions in prosocial qualities like gratitude and forgiveness. However, the mediating factor between them remains unclear. Hence, this study aims to explore the mediating role of resilience in the influence of father absence on gratitude and forgiveness. Methods: 1951 participants completed the Revision of the Father Absence Questionnaire, the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale, the Gratitude Questionnaire–6 and the Tendency to Forgive Scale. Harman single factor test was conducted followed by confirmatory factor analysis to assess the data for potential common method deviation. Results: The results showed that: Father absence was negatively associated with gratitude and forgiveness. Moreover, we found that resilience mediated between father absence and gratitude and forgiveness. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that the undesirable effects of father absence on prosocial qualities may be ameliorated by intervening in the mediating factor among them. In other words, improving the resilience of individuals with paternity deficiency may help improve their gratitude and forgiveness, which is of great significance for the intervention of prosocial quality in individuals with paternity deficiency. KW - Father absence; resilience; gratitude; forgiveness; structural equation model DO - 10.32604/ijmhp.2023.028301