title: The effects of forgiveness therapy on depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress for women after spousal emotional abuse.
abstract: Emotionally abused women experience negative psychological outcomes long after the abusive spousal relationship has ended. This study compares forgiveness therapy (FT) with an alternative treatment (AT; anger validation, assertiveness, interpersonal skill building) for emotionally abused women who had been permanently separated for 2 or more years (M = 5.00 years, SD = 2.61; n = 10 per group). Participants, who were matched, yoked, and randomized to treatment group, met individually with the intervener. Mean intervention time was 7.95 months (SD = 2.61). The relative efficacy of FT and AT was assessed at p < .05. Participants in FT experienced significantly greater improvement than AT participants in depression, trait anxiety, posttraumatic stress symptoms, self-esteem, forgiveness, environmental mastery, and finding meaning in suffering, with gains maintained at follow-up (M = 8.35 months, SD = 1.53). FT has implications for the long-term recovery of postrelationship emotionally abused women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706-1386, USA. gaylelreed@charter.net
authors.forename: Gayle L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Enright
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D001290:Attitude; D018585:Battered Women / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006167:Guilt; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008875:Middle Aged; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D012649:Self Concept; D012932:Social Facilitation; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires