Journal of Women's Health Care
Open Access

Suzanne Freedman

Publications

• Review Article
  The Use of Forgiveness Therapy with Female Survivors of Abuse
  Author(s): Robert D Enright and Suzanne FreedmanRobert D Enright and Suzanne Freedman
  
  Three intervention studies focusing on the psychology of forgiveness for women who have been abused are reviewed. All three incorporated the process model of forgiveness, used randomized assignment to experimental and control groups, and examined effectiveness through pre-test, post-test, and follow-up assessments. All three were conducted by different interveners. Results show that forgiveness is an effective way of restoring psychological health following abuse as well as increasing forgiveness toward the offender. For example, in Freedman and Enright’s study with incest survivors, the experimental group showed a significantly greater reduction in anxiety, state anxiety, trait anxiety, and depression, and a greater increase in forgiving the perpetrator, and in hope. Similar results were found in Reed and Enright’s study with women who experienced spousal emotional abuse... View More»
  DOI: 10.4172/2167-0420.1000369

  Abstract PDF

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