Effects of a group forgiveness intervention on forgiveness, perceived stress, and trait-anger

✍ Scribed by Alex H. S. Harris; Frederic Luskin; Sonya B. Norman; Sam Standard; Jennifer Bruning; Stephanie Evans; Carl E. Thoresen

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 146 KB
• Volume: 62
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-9762
• DOI: 10.1002/jclp.20264

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of a 6‐week forgiveness intervention on three outcomes: (a) offense‐specific forgiveness, (b) forgiveness‐likelihood in new situations, and (c) health‐related psychosocial variables, such as perceived stress and trait‐anger. Participants were 259 adults who had experienced a hurtful interpersonal transgression from which they still felt negative consequences. They were randomized to a forgiveness‐training program or a no‐treatment control group. The intervention reduced negative thoughts and feelings about the target transgression 2 to 3 times more effectively than the control condition, and it produced significantly greater increases in positive thoughts and feelings toward the transgressor. Significant treatment effects were also found for forgiveness self‐efficacy, forgiveness generalized to new situations, perceived stress, and trait‐anger. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 62: 715–733, 2006.