Measuring Spousal Forgiveness: German Version of the Marital Offence‐Specific Forgiveness Scale (MOFS‐German)

• Author: Christoph Kröger,Sören Kliem,Julia Haversath
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12290
• Published date: 01 December 2017
• Date: 01 December 2017

J H Technical University of Brunswick

S K Criminological Research Institute of Lower Saxony

C K University of Hildesheim

Measuring Spousal Forgiveness: German Version of

the Marital Offence-Specic Forgiveness Scale

(MOFS-German)

Objective: To validate the German version of

the Marital Offence—Specic Forgiveness Scale

(MOFS-German).

Background: Forgiveness has positive effects

on several relational variables. The MOFS

(Paleari et al., 2009) is a useful instrument for

measuring forgiveness in romantic relation-

ships.

Method: Using a representative sample of indi-

viduals in the German population (N=1,396),

we conducted a conrmatory factor analysis

(CFA)and analyzed internal consistency as well

as associations with other measures. Then, using

a sample of couples (N=348), we analyzed

dyadic data with hierarchical linear modeling

(HLM) for convergentvalidity and subgroup dif-

ferences.

Results: The two-factor structure was repli-

cated in the CFA. The dimensions Benevolence

and Resentment/Avoidance showed acceptable

internal consistency values, and their associ-

ations to other self-report measures supported

convergent validity. Couples in counseling

University of Hildesheim, Universitätsplatz 1, 31141

Hildesheim, Germany (kroegerc@uni-hildesheim.de).

Key Words: Couple/marital/romantic relationships, gender

differences, statistical methods, dyadic data.

reported less Benevolence and more Resent-

ment/Avoidance than couples not in counseling,

and men reported more Benevolence and less

Resentment/Avoidance than women.

Conclusions: Findings support the

MOFS-German’s ability to assess spousal

forgiveness, including differences between men

and women as well as between couples in

counseling and couples not in counseling.

Implications: The MOFS-German may now be

used in the standardized assessment of marital

forgiveness by clinicians and researchers.

Research on forgiveness in intimate relation-

ships has grown in recent years in both scope

and level of interest (e.g., Fehr, Gelfand, & Nag,

2010; Fincham, Hall, & Beach, 2006). Studies

have found that forgiveness has positive effects

on relational variables, including relationship

stability (Fincham et al., 2006; Paleari, Regalia,

& Fincham, 2005), maintenance of relation-

ship satisfaction (Fincham, Beach, & Davila,

2004; Gordon, Baucom, & Snyder, 2005),

dyadic conict resolution (Fincham et al., 2004;

McCullough, 2000), as well as the physical and

psychological health of both partners (Fincham

et al., 2006; Quenstedt-Moe & Popkess, 2014).

Several self-report instruments have been

developed or translated to assess forgiveness.

Family Relations 66 (December 2017): 809–823 809

DOI:10.1111/fare.12290