Longitudinal Associations Between Forgiveness and Psychological Flourishing in Chinese Early Adolescents: The Indirect Role of Psychological Resilience

Positive psychological qualities are core protective resources for adolescents’ mental health and adaptive development. Although prior studies have confirmed the positive correlations among forgiveness, psychological resilience, and psychological flourishing, most empirical evidence is derived from cross-sectional data, leaving the longitudinal dynamics and potential indirect pathways among these constructs largely unexplored. To fill this research gap, this study explored the longitudinal associations among forgiveness, psychological resilience, and psychological flourishing in adolescents, with particular attention to the indirect role of psychological resilience. A two-wave longitudinal design spanning a six-month interval was adopted, involving 1034 Chinese early adolescents (47.49% male, n = 491; Mage = 13.29 years, SDage = 0.75, age range was 12–15 years old at baseline), who completed self-report measures of forgiveness, psychological resilience, and psychological flourishing at both time points. Cross-lagged panel analyses revealed that T1 forgiveness significantly predicted T2 psychological flourishing, and T1 psychological flourishing significantly predicted T2 forgiveness. Further indirect effect testing indicated that psychological resilience showed significant indirect effects in both directions, whereas the direct effect was not significant. These findings suggest a bidirectional longitudinal relationship between forgiveness and psychological flourishing, with psychological resilience serving as a significant indirect pathway in both directions among Chinese early adolescents. This study provides empirical longitudinal evidence that may inform intervention efforts aimed at promoting adolescents’ sustainable psychological flourishing and mental health.