Women After Spousal Abuse Summary
Journal Article Review on The Effects of Forgiveness for Women After Spousal Abuse
Lacey Lewis
March 26, 2013
COUN 506
Liberty University
Summary In journal article The Effects of Forgiveness Therapy on Depression, Anxiety, and Posttraumatic Stress for Women After Spousal Emotional Abuse by Gayle B. Reed and Robert D. Enright they attempt to look at if forgiveness therapy would decrease the level of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms and if it would increase their self-esteem, environmental mastery, and finding meaning in the suffering. To do so the researchers compared forgiveness therapy with an alternative therapy that included “anger validation about the wrong doing of abuse, assertiveness, and interpersonal skill building” (Reed & Enright, 2006, p. 921). To test this Reed and Enright chose 20 participants that had been separated or divorced from their spouse or partner for at least 2 years. The women for this study were 90% European Americans, 5% Hispanic Americans, and 5% Native Americans. There were a range of ages of the women that participated from high school students all the way to post graduate degrees ages 25-55. There were also variations of abuse that the women had experienced such as criticizing, …show more content…
For the alternative group they showed a statistically significantly greater increase in anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and victim status. The study showed an improvement in negative psychological outcomes. I thought it was stated best that in this study “These women have been given the message in the abuse context that they are worthless and that they cannot make good choices. FT corrects that message.” (Reed & Enright, 2006, p.
Lacey Lewis
March 26, 2013
COUN 506
Liberty University
Summary In journal article The Effects of Forgiveness Therapy on Depression, Anxiety, and Posttraumatic Stress for Women After Spousal Emotional Abuse by Gayle B. Reed and Robert D. Enright they attempt to look at if forgiveness therapy would decrease the level of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms and if it would increase their self-esteem, environmental mastery, and finding meaning in the suffering. To do so the researchers compared forgiveness therapy with an alternative therapy that included “anger validation about the wrong doing of abuse, assertiveness, and interpersonal skill building” (Reed & Enright, 2006, p. 921). To test this Reed and Enright chose 20 participants that had been separated or divorced from their spouse or partner for at least 2 years. The women for this study were 90% European Americans, 5% Hispanic Americans, and 5% Native Americans. There were a range of ages of the women that participated from high school students all the way to post graduate degrees ages 25-55. There were also variations of abuse that the women had experienced such as criticizing, …show more content…
For the alternative group they showed a statistically significantly greater increase in anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and victim status. The study showed an improvement in negative psychological outcomes. I thought it was stated best that in this study “These women have been given the message in the abuse context that they are worthless and that they cannot make good choices. FT corrects that message.” (Reed & Enright, 2006, p.