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REACH Forgiveness Group Intervention Adapted for Refugees (REACH-FOR)
Sponsor: Universidad Pontificia Comillas
Summary
The goal of this study was to find out whether REACH-FOR, a group program that helps people work toward forgiving a past offense, is useful for refugees, including people who cannot read or write well. Many refugees have experienced violence and injustice, and holding on to resentment has been linked to poorer mental health. REACH-FOR adapts the REACH Forgiveness program (Recall, Empathize, Altruistic gift, Commit, Hold on) by replacing written exercises with oral, visual, and group activities and by using examples drawn from refugees' own stories. Eighteen adult refugees living in a temporary reception center in Portugal were randomly assigned to take part in REACH-FOR straight away or to join a waiting list and take part one week later. Participants answered questionnaires about unforgiveness, forgiveness, and well-being before and after the program and one month later.
Official title: Efficacy of the REACH Forgiveness Group Intervention Adapted for Refugees: A Randomized Waiting-List Controlled Trial
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - Any
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
18
Start Date
2018-12-01
Completion Date
2019-01-30
Last Updated
2026-10-30
Healthy Volunteers
Yes
Interventions
REACH-FOR
Group-based forgiveness intervention adapted from Worthington's REACH Forgiveness model (Recall, Empathize, Altruistic gift, Commit, Hold on) for refugees, including people with low literacy. Six 90-minute sessions over three consecutive days (9 contact hours), delivered by the researcher with an interpreter for the participants' first language. Written exercises are replaced by oral, visual, and group activities, and examples are drawn from refugees' own accounts.
Locations (1)
Universidad Pontificia Comillas
Madrid, Madrid, Spain