Pilot Study: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Forgiveness Therapy With Abused Early Adolescent Females in Pakistan

The present study evaluated the effectiveness of forgiveness therapy with abused early adolescent females in Pakistan. Eight female victims of child abuse between the ages of 11-12 years living in the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau in Lahore, Pakistan were randomly assigned into either an exper...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Spirituality in clinical practice (Washington, D.C.) D.C.), 2018-06, Vol.5 (2), p.75-87
Main Authors: Rahman, Affaf, Iftikhar, Rabia, Kim, Jichan J, Enright, Robert D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent Characteristics
Child Abuse
Child Welfare
Female
Forgiveness
Human
Psychotherapy
Test Construction
Treatment Effectiveness Evaluation
Victimization
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Summary:The present study evaluated the effectiveness of forgiveness therapy with abused early adolescent females in Pakistan. Eight female victims of child abuse between the ages of 11-12 years living in the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau in Lahore, Pakistan were randomly assigned into either an experimental or control group. The experimental group received forgiveness therapy twice a week for 4 months while the control group received treatment-as-usual for the span of 4 months. All participants were measured on the levels of forgiveness (Enright Forgiveness Inventory), anger (Anger Scale), and hope (Hope Scale) at pretest, posttest, and 1-year follow-up where each testing consisted of 4 consecutive assessments with a 1-week interval. At the 1-year follow-up, the experimental group, when compared with the control group, showed statistically higher levels of forgiveness and hope and a significantly lower level of anger. Findings in this study are promising, showing preliminary support of forgiveness therapy as a new treatment tool for early adolescent victims of abuse and in a culture in which forgiveness therapy never has been examined to date.
ISSN:2326-4500
2326-4519
DOI:10.1037/scp0000160