NCJ Number
223987
Journal
Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma Volume: 16 Issue: 1 Dated: 2008 Pages: 72-91
Date Published
2008
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This article examines the relationship between offense-specific forgiveness and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms.
Abstract
The study found that higher levels of offense-specific forgiveness were significantly related to lower levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. In path analyses, however, when gender and offense severity were allowed to directly predict both forgiveness and PTSD symptoms, the relationship was reduced to marginal significance. Exploratory analyses revealed that within the five most-commonly endorsed trauma subtypes, the relationship between forgiveness and PTSD symptoms might differ in strength and direction as a function of trauma type. The relationship between offense-specific forgiveness and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms was examined in a cross-sectional survey of college students reporting interpersonal trauma exposure, that is, a trauma exposure in which they identified a specific perpetrator. It is noted that given the lack of previous work in this area, as well as limitations of the study, the results of this work are to be viewed as preliminary, and that additional work is needed to establish the construct validity of the concept of forgiveness. Data were obtained from a sample of 178 participants selected from a larger sample of male and female introductory psychology students at a large midwestern university. Participants completed questionnaires, with a focus of the study being a subset assessing trauma exposure, PTSD symptoms, and forgiveness. The sample used was about 70 percent female, with other demographic characteristics representative of a young, under 21, college population. Tables, figure, notes, and references