Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are a significant risk factor for psychological functioning in adulthood and may hinder the process of forgiveness toward those who caused harm. Previous research indicates that personal resources can play a protective role by facilitating coping with difficult life experiences and supporting adaptive psychological processes. However, little is known about how different configurations of personal resources relate to forgiveness among individuals reporting ACEs.
The present study examined the role of personal resources in forgiveness in the context of ACEs. Four resources were analyzed: religiosity, self-compassion, psychological well-being, and the relational self. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify distinct configurations of these resources. The study involved 308 participants. Data were collected using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the Religious Meaning System Questionnaire, the Self-Compassion Scale, the Psychological Well-Being Scale, the RISC, the Decisional to Forgive Scale, and the Emotional Forgiveness Scale.
Four profiles of personal resources were identified: Integrated High Resource (19.8%), High Resources Without Religiosity (20.8%), Mixed Resources with High Religiosity (29.2%), and Very Low Resources (30.2%). Individuals with very low resources reported the highest levels of ACEs, except for sexual abuse. Both decisional and emotional forgiveness were highest in the Integrated High Resources profile and lowest in the Very Low Resources profile. Higher ACEs were associated with lower forgiveness, particularly in profiles characterized by low religiosity. These findings suggest that personal resources, especially religiosity, may play a protective role in coping with ACEs and facilitating forgiveness.