Forgiveness and spirituality are psychological factors that may influence the quality of romantic relationships by supporting empathy, reducing conflict, and strengthening partners’ sense of meaning. Forgiveness, understood as the ability to forgive oneself, others, and life situations, may play an important role in maintaining relationship satisfaction. A greater tendency to forgive oneself and others may be associated with a more internal locus of control, reflecting a sense of personal responsibility and agency that may enhance relationship satisfaction. In contrast, lower forgiveness toward situations may indicate a more external locus of control, suggesting a tendency to attribute negative events to external circumstances beyond personal influence.
The study aimed to examine correlations between spirituality, forgiveness, and relationship satisfaction among individuals in romantic relationships, as well as differences across sociodemographic groups.
The sample consisted of 71 participants (mean age: 33.54 ± 10.83 years), including 52 women (mean age: 34.02 ± 11) and 19 men (mean age: 32.21 ± 10.52). Data were collected using a sociodemographic survey and Polish adaptations of the HFS, Interfaith Spirituality Scale, and CSI-32 PL. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, Spearman correlations, and Mann–Whitney U tests. By the time of conference, sample will be increased to approximately 300 participants.
Moderate positive correlations were found between Forgiveness of Others and two spirituality dimensions: Asceticism, Self-discipline, and Virtues, and Meditation and Spiritual Knowledge. Forgiveness of Situations was moderately associated with relationship satisfaction. No significant group differences were observed. Forgiveness and spirituality may contribute to higher relationship satisfaction.