Exploring Forgiveness as a Positive Coping Resource for Occupational Stress and Well-Being Among Professionals

The present study aimed to examine the role of forgiveness in reducing work stress and enhancing subjective well-being among working professionals. In today’s demanding work environment, occupational stress has become a common psychological issue affecting professionals across various sectors, ultimately lowering their life satisfaction and overall happiness. Forgiveness, as a positive psychological strength, may function as an adaptive coping resource by reducing negative emotions, interpersonal resentment, and stress-related rumination. Using a quantitative correlational design, the study was conducted on a sample of 195 working professionals selected from different districts of Bihar through purposive and snowball sampling techniques. The sample included 75 professors, 32 doctors, 49 lawyers, 19 chartered accountants, and 20 engineers. Standardized measures such as the Heartland Forgiveness Scale, Occupational Stress Index, and Satisfaction with Life Scale were administered to assess forgiveness, work stress, and subjective well-being respectively. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, regression analysis, and mediation testing. Findings indicated that forgiveness was significantly negatively related to work stress and positively associated with subjective well-being. Work stress showed a significant negative relationship with subjective well-being. Further, forgiveness emerged as a significant predictor of both work stress and subjective well-being, while work stress partially mediated the forgiveness-well-being relationship. The study highlights forgiveness as an important psychological resource for improving employee mental health and suggests its integration into workplace well-being interventions.