Forgiveness, Health, and Problematic Drinking among College Students in Southern Appalachia

Evidence is growing regarding the salutary relationships between spirituality and health, including alcohol problems, yet little is known about spirituality and health in the context thereof. Cross-sectional associations between forgiveness and health were examined among college student problematic drinkers (n = 126; female = 60%; M-age = 22) in Southern Appalachia. Controlling for demographic variables (including religiosity), dimensions of forgiveness accounted for 7-33 percent of the variance in the health-related variables in a salutary fashion. Forgiveness of Self appears to be the most important dimension of forgiveness measured, yet the most difficult to develop.