Effects of Forgiveness of Perpetrators on Marital Adjustment for Survivors of Sexual Abuse

Abstract

The effects of forgiveness of perpetrators on survivors' marital adjustment and the effects of childhood sexual abuse on forgiveness were examined. A clinical sample of 63 married female survivors completed the Enright Forgiveness Inventory, Dyadic Adjustment Scale, Childhood Experience Inventory, and a demographic questionnaire. An ANOVA for dyadic adjustment with three levels of severity and two levels of forgiveness found significant main effectsfor forgiveness. Women with higher levels of forgiveness reported significantly higher marital adjustment scores than women with lower levels of forgiveness. Use of force, threat, and frequency accounted for 19% of the variance for the forgiveness criterion. Forgiveness was significantly and negatively correlated with perceived victimization. Forgiveness was recommended as an effective strategy for counseling childhood sexual abuse survivors.