Forgiveness and vengeance: the mediating role of gratitude.

This study examined the mediating role of gratitude on the relationship between forgiveness and vengeance. Participants were 331 university students (185 women, 146 men; ages 17 to 24 years), who completed a questionnaire package that includes the Vengeance Scale, the Trait Forgiveness Scale, and the Gratitude Questionnaire-Six Item Form. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that gratitude partially mediated the relationship between forgiveness and vengeance. The significance and limitations of the results were discussed.