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A meta‐analysis of forgiveness education interventions’ effects on forgiveness and anger in children and adolescents

Robert D. Enright
Hannah Rapp
Jiahe Wang Xu
All your life you’re told forgiveness is for you. But we’re never told why it’s for you. It means you’re working on owning your life.
Shani Tran
Therapist and Founder, The Shani Project
Forgiveness is nothing less than the way we heal the world. We heal the world by healing each and every one of our hearts. The process is simple, but it is not easy.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
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A meta‐analysis of forgiveness education interventions’ effects on forgiveness and anger in children and adolescents

Robert D. Enright
Hannah Rapp
Jiahe Wang Xu
NO. of participants
1472
Date
2022
Type of Evidence
Type of Paper
Empiricism
open access
Yes
No
sample size

Forgiveness education interventions instruct children and adolescents in understanding forgiveness and its role in healthy relationships. In this meta‐analytic review, 20 studies involving 1472 youth (51% female; Mage = 11.66) from 10 countries (studies: 40% North American, 25% East Asian, 20% Middle Eastern, 15% European) were retrieved to determine forgiveness education interventions’ effects on youth outcomes. Hedges’ g and confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess treatment effects. Findings suggest that forgiveness education interventions have a significant positive effect on forgiveness (g = 0.54, 95% CI [0.36, 0.73]) and anger (g = 0.29, 95% CI [0.11, 0.47]). Results lend support to the idea that children and adolescents who experience hurt from the unjust actions of others may benefit from learning about the process of forgiveness.

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