Effect of Forgiveness Group Therapy on the Symptoms of Depression and Rumination of Dysthymic Women

Interpersonal transgressions and suffering have an important role in the formation and persistence of psychological disorders. This study evaluates the effect of forgiveness group therapy on the symptoms of depression and rumination of dysthymic women according to the findings about the relationship between forgiveness of interpersonal transgressions in the past and reduction of depression symptoms. This research was a quasi-experimental study with a sample of 16 women. Subjects were selected from samples available in a psychiatric clinic. Subject selection was based on the entry criteria and psychiatric diagnosis. Patients were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. In experimental group, the treatment based on forgiveness was held in 6 ninety-minute sessions (once a week). The control group did not receive the intervention. The research data were collected by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) questionnaire, Transgression-Related Interpersonal Motivations Scale (TRIM-12) and Rumination about an Interpersonal Offense Scale (RIO).Covariance analysis was used to analyze data of this study. Evaluations after treatment showed that, forgiveness group therapy was significantly effective (alpha