Can group interventions facilitate forgiveness of an ex-spouse? A randomized clinical trial.

TLDR

This study evaluated the effectiveness of two versions of an 8‑session forgiveness group intervention for divorced individuals. Participants (n = 192, 149 analyzed) were randomized to secular, religious, or no‑intervention groups, and forgiveness and mental health were measured at pretest, posttest, and 6‑week follow‑up. Both secular and religious interventions produced greater increases in self‑reported forgiveness of an ex‑spouse and understanding than the comparison, with the secular group also showing a larger reduction in depressive symptoms, while intrinsic religiousness did not moderate these effects.

Abstract

This study evaluated the effectiveness of 2 versions of an 8-session forgiveness group intervention for divorced individuals. Participants (randomized, n=192; analyzed, n=149) were randomly assigned to a secular forgiveness condition, a religious forgiveness condition, or a no-intervention comparison condition. Measures of forgiveness and mental health were obtained at pretest, posttest, and 6-week follow-up. Participants in both intervention conditions increased significantly more than comparison participants on self-reported forgiveness of an ex-spouse and understanding of forgiveness. Participants in the secular condition showed a greater decrease in depressive symptoms than comparison participants. Intrinsic religiousness did not moderate intervention effects.