Forgiveness and Suicidal Behavior in College Students: Cynicism and Psychache as Serial Mediators by Trever Dangel Research has long documented beneficial associations between forgiveness and numerous health outcomes; however, its relationship to suicidal behavior has been relatively neglected. Both cynicism, and psychache, or agonizing psychological pain, have displayed deleterious associations with suicidal behavior, but have rarely been incorporated into more comprehensive models of suicidal

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... behavior. Recent work has resulted in the development of a theoretical model of the forgiveness-suicidal behavior association, which can incorporate several mediator variables including cynicism and psychache. The present study used an undergraduate sample of college students (N = 312) to test a serial mediation model of the cross-sectional associations between forgiveness, cynicism, psychache, and suicidal behavior. Forgiveness of self and of uncontrollable situations were indirectly associated with suicidal behavior via psychache, while forgiveness of others was indirectly associated via cynicism and psychache in serial fashion.