Forgiveness Education as a Counselling Intervention: Effects on Anger and Depression Among Ghanaian Adolescents

ABSTRACT Background This study aimed to explore the relationship between interpersonal or community violence exposure in relation to emotional problems experienced by adolescents. Emotional problems are defined in the study as anger and depression. Forgiveness‐based interventions are suggested as a process‐oriented approach to help adolescents manage their emotions, understand their experiences and cope with interpersonal trauma. Aims This study aimed to investigate the effect of forgiveness education, which was informed by the Enright Process Model, on anger and depression experienced by senior high school students in the Yendi Municipality in Ghana. Materials and Methods A quasi‐experimental research design was used in the current study. A total of 40 adolescents who scored high on anger and depression were randomly selected to be part of either the experimental group or the control group. Anger and depression were measured using the Level of Anger Scale and Beck Depression Inventory, respectively. One‐way analysis of covariance was used to analyse the data. Results After controlling for baseline scores, students who participated in the forgiveness education programme reported significantly lower levels of anger (partial η ² = 0.717) and depression (partial η ² = 0.775) than those in the control group. Discussion Although these findings provide preliminary evidence that forgiveness education may be a promising counselling intervention for reducing anger and depressive symptoms among adolescents, they should be interpreted cautiously because of the quasi‐experimental design. The findings highlight the potential of forgiveness‐based counselling as a school‐based intervention for adolescents experiencing interpersonal and community‐related conflict. Conclusion However, further randomised controlled studies with active comparison interventions are needed to confirm these preliminary findings and establish the effectiveness of the approach.