DB Replies Assignment
Scorpyo_77
TracyResearchProposal_ForgivenessaffectsonDepression.pptx
Research Proposal
introduction
Depression, as defined with criteria to be diagnosed in the DSM-V (APA, 2013), has been researched extensively for symptoms, prognosis, course of the disorder, epidemiology and treatments. Though a lot of research involves pharmaceutical treatments, there is also the cognitive model in where certain acts of intervention such as forgiveness, correcting maladaptive thought patterns, and mindfulness practices have been studied. When looking at the research on the correlation of forgiveness and depression, the results are positive. This research proposal identifies the area of forgiveness less identified, which is divine forgiveness.
This introduction statement on this slide address the following: What is the significance of the problem and what is being done about it, What literature do we currently have, what does all of this mean, and why is it important to the reader? (Knight and Tetrault, 2017).
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Research Proposal
Problem Statement
Individuals struggle with depression even after experiencing forgiveness. For Christians, this can mean divine forgiveness is necessary.
Research Gap
There is a lack of research on divine forgiveness and its effectiveness on mitigating depressive symptoms.
Many Christians still struggle with depression even after going through forgiveness process. But those types of forgiveness are typically self-forgiveness and inter-personal forgiveness. There is a forgiveness called Divine Forgiveness which is about asking God for forgiveness when individuals have sinned and feel like they have turned away from God. This leaves us to the problem statement that even after the process of forgiveness, is there also an affect that divine forgiveness has on depression. For some, especially Christians, is it after divine forgiveness that they can truly feel like forgiveness has taken place and let the transgression go and will that affect the depression symptoms. This leads us to research to examine whether the type of forgiveness impacts depression. In looking at the research, it is focused more on inter-personal and self-forgiveness and very little is on divine forgiveness. But for Christians, this can be the type that is necessary to relieve their conscious and be able to let the transgression go and feel resanctified and back in God’s good graces and relieve the symptoms of depression caused by guilt and shame.
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Research Question
Does divine
forgiveness by itself
mitigate depressive
symptoms for treatment of
depression?
Based on our problem statement and gap we found in the research leads us to the research question of: Does divine forgiveness by itself mitigate depressive symptoms for treatment of depression? The research has already told us a lot about self-forgiveness and inter-personal forgiveness but now we are looking at specifically divine forgiveness. As the picture on the slide asks, is it with his stripes that we are ultimately healed.
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Literature review
Fincham and May (2019), researched the question if self-forgiveness and divine forgiveness relate to distress and well-being. The population focused on was 435 young adults with a mean age of 19.85 years. They utilized the Life Satisfaction with Life Scale to measurer well-being, the for Center for Epidemiology Studies Depression Scale for depressive symptoms, and a 5 point survey for self-forgiveness, and a 4 point scale survey for divine forgiveness. The results were that both self-forgiveness and divine forgiveness correlate positively with psychological well-being and negatively with depressive symptoms.
The literature reviewed shows this a new area of research in the area of divine forgiveness and its impact on mental health, specifically depression.
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Literature Review
Kent, Bradshaw and Ueker (2017), did a longitudinal study on older adults with the idea that older adults depressive symptoms are increasing. They included two types of forgiveness: feelings of forgiveness by God and the belief of the need to act in a reformed way to receive forgiveness from God associated with components of psychological well-being as self-esteem, optimism and life satisfaction. Using the basis of attachment theory, they measured the subjects attachment to God and noticed that those with secure attachment had a less desire for God’s forgiveness. The dependent variables were self-esteem, life satisfaction and optimism for psychological well-being. The independent variable was forgiveness. The results indicated that having a secure attachment to God only partially supported the hypothesis and that feeling forgiveness from God did not positively change psychological well-being in this age group.
The authors of this study include things as depression under the categorization of psychological well-being or mental health in general.
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Hypothesis
Based on the problem statement identified and research questions asked, the hypothesis for this research proposal states:
Divine Forgiveness may mitigate depression and depressive symptoms. The null hypothesis is further identified as Divine Forgiveness may not mitigate depression or depressive symptoms.
For Christians forgiveness may look different than non-Christians. There is another component besides our self and others when it comes to transgressions and that is forgiveness that can come from only God himself; Divine Forgiveness.
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Methods
RESEARCH DESIGN
Ecological Systems Theoretical Framework
Quantitative
Quasi-experimental
No random sampling
With-in Subject Design
Correlation
Group comparison
VARIABLES
Dependent Variable: the individuals depressive symptoms
Independent Variable: the intervention of practicing divine forgiveness.
Control group gets no intervention
This research is a Ecological Systems Theoretical Framework that is quantitative as the data is numbers and objective, not subjective. This is quasi-experimental research design with correlational of individual data and group comparison of experimental group to control group. This will not be reandom sampling but from a particular group or population. Since it is pretest and posttest for all participants then it is within subject design. We are looking for change in depressive symptoms which is the dependent variable. In order to try to change that, we are using the intervention of practicing divine forgiveness, the independent variable while the control group gets no intervention and we expect to see no difference of their pre and post test rating scales for depression.
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assessments
Beck Depression Inventory to measure depression before intervention and again post intervention.
Heartland Forgiveness Scale to measure participants level of forgiveness before intervention and post intervention.
To measure for depression and gather data, we will use the Beck Depression Inventory that has been widely used in research and practice and has proven validity and reliability. The Heartland Forgiveness Scale will measure the individual’s level of forgiveness which also has validity and reliability.
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Procedures
Faith based counseling center
Participants identify as Christians
Participants have diagnosis of depression
Informed Consent
Divided into control group and research group
Pretests of depression and forgiveness rating scale
Intervention for research group
Posttests of depression and forgiveness rating scale
Analysis performed
Participants will volunteer and be selected from a faith based counseling center in which they receive services and we hope to have 14 participants. The inclusion and exclusion criteria will be identifying as Christians and have a diagnosis of depression. Ethic guidelines and protocols for research will be followed throughout process and explained in the informed consent for participants. Participants will be divided into control group and research group, though none will know which group they are in. For both groups, the assessments will be administered to measure depression and forgiveness. Intervention for research group will happen by meeting individually with the process of discussion on forgiveness and biblical bases of God’s forgiveness. There will be four weekly meetings in this interventions during which time we will be looking for confounding variables that may impact their results. Posttest of assessments will be administered and conduct the analysis on results.
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Analysis
Collecting interval data from the measurements
Parametric Inferential Statistical Test
T-test with paired samples for a correlated group
Hypothesis Testing
1-Tailed t-test
Program SSPS in excel
Pearson’s r
Since there is no real zero and data is equal intervals between data points then it would be interval data that we are measuring. The statistical test is a t-test with paired samples. We are able to use this because the sample size is smaller. With the t-test we have to compute the population mean, the sample mean and the standard deviation. Using the SSPS in excel we can analyze the data we collected through input. After running the data through SSPS we would measure correlation.
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Research LImitations
Though the research in this proposal can help to address the question if there is affect on depression through divine forgiveness. But the limit is that how can it also affect the other identified types of depression which are self-forgiveness and inter-personal forgiveness and is there a correlation there.
Through this research and developing this proposal, a limitation was quickly identified in does this affect other types of forgiveness also. For instance, we may want to ask the question, does divine forgiveness then allow us to forgive ourselves or forgive others easier and would that all together actually impact depression. As Christians, we can understand how God’s or Divine forgiveness may be the ultimate form that provides us freedom to forgive others or ourselves. Once we made right with God, then it can extend to cover all that is needed over this transgression and is that the ultimate piece to actual forgiveness and healing. There is no research on that I was able to locate at this time.
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Mental Health Impact
In Christian counseling, this research impacts our work directly with the population that we will be serving.
This is Integration of psychology and theology in our practice of Christian Counseling and how individuals beliefs and relationship with God affect mental health.
In Serving Christians through Christian counseling, the research impacts our work directly. Instead of just the broad subject of forgiveness, but directly to our belief systems and how it impacts mental health. This is a great example of how integration will be a part of our work and be based on biblical principles of forgiveness, the type that we can only receive from God.
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REferences
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5®). American Psychiatric Pub.
Frank D. Fincham & Ross W. May (2019) Divine, interpersonal and self-forgiveness: Independently related to depressive symptoms?, The Journal of Positive Psychology, DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2019.1639798
Kent, B. V., Bradshaw, M., & Uecker, J. E. (2018). Forgiveness, Attachment to God, and Mental Health Outcomes in Older U.S. Adults: A Longitudinal Study. Research on Aging, 40(5), 456–479. https://doi.org/10.1177/0164027517706984
Knight, A., & Tetrault, D. E. (2017). Research Methods and Program Evaluation Key Concepts: A Study Guide.
