Mark S. Rye

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

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.

A Personological Examination of Self- and Other-Forgiveness in the Five Factor Model

In a sample composed of 147 undergraduates (age range 18 to 55 years; M = 22), we conducted an examination of the convergent and discriminant validity of self- and other-forgiveness in the Five-factor model of personality (FFM). Using multiple measures of each construct, principal components analysis (PCA) supported a 2-component model of forgiveness. Findings for the PCA and external correlates with the FFM provided evidence for a largely orthogonal relationship between self- and other-forgiveness. Specifically, self-forgiveness was negatively related to Neuroticism and unrelated to Agreeableness, whereas other-forgiveness was unrelated to Neuroticism and positively related to Agreeableness. Overlap between the constructs was found in which both self- and other-forgiveness were negatively related to the hostility facet of Neuroticism and the order facet from Conscientiousness and positively related to the warmth and positive emotions facet scales from the Extraversion domain of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (Costa & McCrae, 1992). Overall, these findings suggest that self- and other-forgiveness, although seemingly similar, carry very different motivational underpinnings.

Forgiveness of an Ex-Spouse: How Does It Relate to Mental Health Following a Divorce?

Abstract This study examined the relationship between forgiveness of an ex-spouse and post-divorce adjustment. Participants (N = 199) were recruited from community singles organizations and church-based divorce recovery groups in several Midwestern cities. Forgiveness was related to several measures of mental health after controlling for the effects of demographic/background variables. Specifically, both Forgiveness (Absence of Negative) and Forgiveness (Presence of Positive) were positively correlated with Existential Well-Being. Forgiveness (Absence of Negative) predicted Existential Well-Being beyond Forgiveness (Presence of Positive) but not vice versa. Forgiveness (Absence of Negative) was also positively correlated with Religious Well-Being and negatively correlated with Depression, State Anger, and Trait Anger. The majority of participants believed that forgiveness of ones ex-spouse is important for emotional healing following a divorce. No differences were found between Protestants and Catholics regarding perceived importance of forgiveness or self-reported forgiveness of their ex-spouse. Religious affiliation moderated the relationship between Forgiveness (Presence of Positive) and Existential Well-Being. Study implications are discussed.

Negative affect and anger rumination as mediators between forgiveness and sleep quality

Research indicates that forgiveness of interpersonal transgressions relates to better sleep quality, whereas maintaining feelings of anger and hostility relates to poorer sleep quality. However, the mechanisms explaining these relationships have yet to be determined. We examined whether negative affect and anger rumination mediate the relationship between forgiveness of others and sleep quality using a sample of 277 undergraduates from a medium-sized Midwestern Catholic university. Participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing forgiveness of others (situational and dispositional), sleep quality (nocturnal sleep and daytime fatigue), negative affect (depression and anxiety), and anger rumination. Using structural equation modeling, we found that negative affect and anger rumination mediated the relationship between forgiveness and sleep quality through two indirect pathways. In one pathway, negative affect mediated between forgiveness and sleep quality. In the second pathway, both negative affect and anger rumination functioned as mediators. Implications for clinicians and researchers are discussed.

The religious path toward forgiveness

Researchers designing forgiveness interventions often ignore religious contributions to the forgiveness process, even though many individuals draw upon their religious faith when trying to forgive. This article describes some of the similarities and differences between secular and religious forgiveness interventions, using a group intervention for divorced individuals as an example. Research findings comparing secular and religious forgiveness interventions are briefly examined. This article also examines ways in which religion might impede the forgiveness process. Finally, suggestions are provided for addressing religious issues in group interventions.

Religion and Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract This study examined the religious beliefs and practices of forty-one people with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities. The results indicated that the majority of participants attended worship services, prayed, and rated religion as an important part of their lives. Ratings of the importance of religion were positively correlated with participation in religious activities. Participants tended to score high on measures of intrinsic religiosity, and used positive religious coping strategies more frequently than negative religious coping strategies. Individuals with mild intellectual disabilities identified significantly more abstract representations of religion than individuals with moderate intellectual disabilities. The implications of these findings for the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in religious activities are discussed along with future research directions.

Development and Validation of the Counterfactual Thinking for Negative Events Scale

We examined the psychometric properties of the newly created Counterfactual Thinking for Negative Events Scale (CTNES) in two studies involving university undergraduates. In Study 1 (N = 634), factor analysis revealed four subscales that correspond with various types of counterfactual thinking: Nonreferent Downward, Other-Referent Upward, Self-Referent Upward, and Nonreferent Upward. The subscales were largely orthogonal and had adequate internal consistency and test–retest reliability. The CTNES subscales were positively correlated with a traditional method of assessing counterfactual thinking and were related as expected to contextual aspects of the negative event, negative affect, and cognitive style. In Study 2 (N = 208), we further examined the validity of the scale and demonstrated that the subscales were sensitive to an experimental manipulation concerning the type of negative event participants recalled. Moreover, the CTNES subscales correlated in the expected direction with measures of coping and cognitive style.

Evaluation of an Intervention Designed to Help Divorced Parents Forgive Their Ex-Spouse

This study evaluated a 1-day workshop combined with postintervention journal writing designed to help divorced parents forgive their ex-spouse. Participants (N = 99) were randomly assigned to a workshop with gratitude journal condition (WG), the same workshop with daily events journal condition (WDE), or a wait-list comparison condition (WAIT). Participants completed measures of forgiveness, well-being, and parenting at pretest, posttest (i.e., after the workshop but prior to journaling), and 1-month follow-up (i.e., after the journaling). Consistent with hypotheses, forgiveness of an ex-spouse and dispositional forgiveness were positively related to coparenting, and forgiveness of an ex-spouse was related to better mental health. Participants assigned to WG improved more on situational and dispositional forgiveness as compared to other conditions. Contrary to hypotheses, participants in WG and WDE did not improve over time more than WAIT participants on mental health or parenting measures.

The Relationship between Quest Religious Orientation, Forgiveness, and Mental Health

Little is known about how religious orientation, specifically Quest, relates to forgiveness. In addition, research on the relationship between Quest and psychological distress has yielded conflicting findings, possibly because previous studies have conceptualised Quest as a unidimensional construct. This study investigated how Quest and its recently recognised dimensions related to forgiveness and psychological distress. Participants (N = 242) were undergraduates from a Midwestern Catholic university. They completed measures of Quest, forgiveness, and psychological distress. Results suggested that certain dimensions of Quest were better predictors of forgiveness (e.g., Tentativeness, Exploration, and Moralistic Interpretation) and distress (e.g., Change, Religious Angst, and Existential Motives). Importantly, results revealed that the same dimensions that were positively related to distress were negatively related to forgiveness. Further, the relationship between Quest and forgiveness was moderated by the perceived tolerance/open-mindedness level of the offender; it seems that individuals with a questing nature are less forgiving when the offender is perceived as less tolerant.

Measures of Forgiveness: Self-Report, Physiological, Chemical, and Behavioral Indicators

We review 14 measures of forgiveness, including measures of state forgiveness, forgivingness as a disposition or trait, self-reported state self-forgiveness, and trait self-forgivingness. The state forgiveness measures include self-report measures, chemical measures of state unforgiveness and forgiveness, measures of peripheral physiology (i.e., blood pressure, heart rate, skin conductance, and electrical activity of facial muscles) to supplement self-reports – unforgiveness, measures of brain activity associated with forgiveness, and behavioral indices of forgiveness. We also review a ten-item scale and a five-scenario scale of dispositional forgivingness. Self-forgiveness may also be assessed at state (one measure) and trait levels (one measure). These measures of forgiveness and their various targets (self or other) and different levels (state or trait) are generally strong – with considerable evidence supporting estimated reliabilities and construct validities.