Does Christian Spirituality Enhance Psychological Interventions on Forgiveness, Gratitude, and the Meaning of Life? A Quasi-Experimental Intervention with the Elderly and Youth

Abstract

Scientific research has provided theoretical evidence on the implementation of religious/spiritual interventions (RSI) as a complementary health therapy, where spiritual improvements are also a factor to consider. Despite the above, there are few studies that have evaluated the clinical applicability of these findings. This study was an intervention with older and younger adults divided into two treatment groups and one control group. What is expected is that the two treatment groups will score better than the control group; however, the group with a Christian spiritual focus is expected to perform better than the group without a spiritual focus. Measures of gratitude, meaning of life, forgiveness, spirituality, religiosity, and expected prejudice were recorded. The hypothesis is fulfilled that Christian spirituality enhances psychological interventions on factors associated with personal well-being, mainly in older adults: spirituality (M = 26.00, SE = 2.127/M = 29.38, SE = 1.953, t (12) = −2.436, p < 0.05, r = 0.58), goals (M = 22.92, SE = 1.022/M = 24.54, SE = 0.739, t (12) = −2.298, p < 0.05, r = 0.55), and benevolence (M = 17.31, SE = 1.554/M = 21.08, SE = 1.603, t (12) = −3.310, p < 0.05, r = 0.69). The most powerful results of the study are those associated with religiosity/spirituality.

Beyond Parenting Socialization Years: The Relationship between Parenting Dimensions and Grandparenting Functioning

“…There were positive relationships between different dimensions of grandparenting functioning. Satisfaction with life and meaning of life were identified in previous studies as two important indicators of health and well-being in later life [53,69]. However, less is known about the correlation between satisfaction with life and meaning of life in a specific group of older adults: those who are grandparents.…”

“…To answer each item, the person places him/herself on a scale from 1 to 7 between two extreme feelings: 1 being related to a poor meaning of life and 7 related to a greater meaning of life. The reduced Spanish version of the PIL Test [49] has been used in studies with older adults [53]. The authors of the instrument proposed the meaning of life as a global concept and it was subsequently corroborated in different studies using confirmatory factor analyses [54,55].…”

Analyzing when parental warmth but without parental strictness leads to more adolescent empathy and self-concept: Evidence from Spanish homes

“…Self-concept refers to the evaluative component of self-perceptions, which includes a global dimension, but also different dimensions related to each other (e.g., emotional and social self-concept; Harter, 1988 ; Garcia F. et al, 2018 ; Chen et al, 2020 ). Empathy and self-concept, both positively correlated, are strongly linked to prosocial behaviors ( Laible et al, 2004 ; Ramirez-Jimenez and Serra-Desfilis, 2020 ). By contrast, antisocial behaviors are associated with lack of empathy and self-concept ( Gracia et al, 2008 ; Lila et al, 2013 ; Ruiz-Hernández et al, 2021 ).…”

Examining Reciprocal Links between Parental Autonomy-Support and Children’s Peer Preference in Mainland China

“…This may be particularly notable in adolescence, when increasingly more time is spent with peers and their influence is increased as compared to parents [ 40 ]. Adolescence is also a transitional period that exacerbates psychosocial vulnerability [ 41 , 42 ], and during which drug use, antisocial behaviors, and other difficulties increase [ 43 ]. Therefore, establishing positive and healthy peer relationships are essential to help adolescents to achieve autonomy, maturity, and social skills.…”