Coun 506 Journal

The effects of forgiveness therapy on depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress for women

after spousal emotional abuse

Janice Brown

Liberty University Online

Integration of psychology and Theology

Dr. William Holland

January 26, 2012

“The effects of forgiveness therapy on depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress for women with emotional spousal abuse,” research article by Gayle L. Reed and Robert D. Enright, is a research study on the effects of forgiveness therapy on emotionally abused women. The study analyzes and compared forgiveness therapy with alternative treatments, to provide and effective treatment for the psychological spousal abuse women. Spousal emotional abuse has been a problem, but little to none of the treatments was effective. According to the authors, “no empirical validated treatments have been clearly established” (Reed and Enright, 2006, pg 920). The authors also noted that Sackett and Suanders have verified that the physical battery has a negative impact of emotional abuse.

Other researchers have acknowledges several categories of abuse on in regards to the psychological aspects of emotional spousal abuse. Take in account the effects these emotionally abused women have faced, there have been a very short amount of practical support of effective treatments suggested to help these women with their psychological health. The researchers hypothesize that, “individuals who participate in forgiveness therapy would demonstrate less depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms,…than those who engaged in the more standard therapeutic procedure”, (Reed & Enright, 2006, p. 921)

The research participants were 20 women who have been psychologically abused from different ethnic, educational and employment levels. The research included post traumatic stress symptoms checklists, a psychological screening checklist, and a psychological abuse survey. The study concluded that the forgiveness therapy participants had...