TY  - JOUR
AU  - Moraitou, Despina
AU  - Pezirkianidis, Christos
AU  - Stalikas, Anastasios
AU  - Zichnali, Olga
PY  - 2019
DA  - 2019/04/03
TI  - Examining the Effectiveness of Two Types of Forgiveness Intervention to Enhance Well-Being in Adults from Young to Older Adulthood
JO  - OBM Geriatrics
SP  - 044
VL  - 03
IS  - 02
AB  - Background: Interventions that facilitate positive actions and attitudes seem to play an important role in enhancing psychological health. This study examines the effectiveness of two self-guided interventions with the aim to enhance adults’ well-being through the cultivation of forgiveness skills. Methods: A total of 11 men and 31 women aged 34-80 years were involved (M = 56.57, S.D. = 13.44). All participants were Orthodox Christians, as the average Greeks are, without belonging to a closed religious community. They were asked to complete questionnaires that measure the sense of well-being, the trait of forgiveness, and avoidance, revenge, and benevolence motivation. Subsequently, they were randomly divided into two groups that corresponded to age, gender, and educational level. One group followed the General (n = 22), and the other one the Orthodox-Tradition-Enhanced Intervention (n = 20). The two interventions included six steps toward forgiveness. Self-paced sessions were implemented so as the interventions can be completed. On average, the process lasted two weeks. Participants were also invited to complete the same questionnaires immediately after the intervention, as well as two weeks after the intervention (follow-up measurement). Results: The results showed that forgiveness skills and subjective well-being were reinforced through both interventions and increased significantly more in the Orthodox. The primacy of the Orthodox approach has been demonstrated to reduce negative emotions and promote a sense of well-being over time. The possible mechanisms for the effectiveness of the intervention are further discussed. Conclusions: The findings are promising for the ability of forgiveness interventions, and especially those based on the Orthodox tradition, to improve forgiveness skills and increase mental well-being in adults.
SN  - 2638-1311
UR  - https://doi.org/10.21926/obm.geriatr.1902044
DO  - 10.21926/obm.geriatr.1902044
ID  - Moraitou2019
ER  -