Investigating the relationships between unfaithful parent’s apologies, adult children’s third-party forgiveness, and communication of forgiveness following parental infidelity

Abstract

Guided by theorizing on forgiveness, this study examined the impact of communication on the third-party forgiveness process for adult children following the discovery of their parents’ infidelity. Results from a series of parallel mediated regression and partial correlation analyses advance theorizing on parental infidelity and third-party forgiveness, such that they inform readers that adult children are generally more likely to forgive their unfaithful parent for engaging in infidelity when unfaithful parents offer a sincere apology to them for engaging in this transgression. Two variables—empathy and attributions—were identified as significant mediators of the third-party forgiveness process. Last, the relationships between third-party forgiveness and communicative forgiveness granting tactics were examined. These findings provide a greater understanding of the impact of communication on the forgiveness process, the communication surrounding parental infidelity, and third-party forgiveness.