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Completed

NCT Number: NCT07076394

The Effects of Forgiveness Education

This study aims to investigate the effects of forgiveness education.

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Key information

Conditions

Forgiveness

Age range

19 year–20 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Changzhi Preschool Teachers College

Changzhi, Shanxi, China

About this study

Participation in this study will contribute to promoting the physical and mental health of college school students, improving their quality of life, and maintaining campus and online security.

The intervention program involved in this study is to better psychological welfare.

The number of questionnaires at each testing time is 9 (pre-intervention test only has 7 questionnaires to fill in due to previously completed 2 questionnaires in the eligibility survey), and the approximate length of time it will take to complete the scales is around 40 minutes.

Updated post-intervention for clarity:

In collaboration with a counselor in Changzhi Preschool Teachers College, located in the city of Changzhi, Shanxi Province, China, the investigators will apply a Randomized Trial Group Control Group with Pre-test, Post-test, and Follow-up Design in this study.

Forty Grade-2 and Grade-3 college students will be randomly divided into groups A and B.

  • Group A will undergo a 12-week forgiveness course and a 4-week follow-up wait.
  • Group B will go through a 12-week wait and a 4-week follow-up wait.

For the experimental group, there will be one class per week. Questionnaires will be conducted at three time points separated by two large time periods. Levels of anger, anxiety, forgiveness, hope, self-esteem, human flourishing, and bullying among participants in both groups will be measured. In particular, the investigators will continue asking teachers about each student's bullying behavior, who was identified as showing bullying at the screening (prior to the intervention), regarding these same students at post-tests and at follow-up. This will help determine whether bullying is going down among these students.

As a crucial supplement to the survey data collection, the investigators will also refer to the semi-structured interviews in a highly proportional manner at two time points, namely T1 and T3. In other words, this study will apply mixed methods to achieve research goals.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • first and second year college students at Changzhi Preschool Teachers College

Exclusion criteria

-

Treatment and study plan

Forgiveness Education

Behavioral

The curriculum will apply the textbook of "Forgiveness is a Choice: A Step-by-Step Process for Resolving Anger and Restoring Hope" written by Dr. Robert Enright.

Primary outcomes

  1. Flourishing Scale Score

    Time frame: pre-intervention (baseline), post-intervention (12 weeks on study), follow-up (16 weeks on study)

    8-items scored on a 7 point likert scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree) for a total possible range of scores from 8 to 56 where higher scores demonstrate a person with many psychological resources and strengths.

  2. Social Desirability Scale Score

    Time frame: pre-intervention (baseline), post-intervention (12 weeks on study), follow-up (16 weeks on study)

    33-item true or false survey where the score is the sum of statements assessed to be true. Scores range from 0-33, where higher scores indicate higher social desirability.

  3. Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale Score

    Time frame: pre-intervention (baseline), post-intervention (12 weeks on study), follow-up (16 weeks on study)

    10-item measure scored from 1 (strongly agree) to 4 (strongly disagree). After accounting for several reverse-scored items, scores are summed from 10 to 40, higher scores indicate higher self-esteem.

  4. PROMIS Emotional Distress - Anger Score

    Time frame: pre-intervention (baseline), post-intervention (12 weeks on study), follow-up (16 weeks on study)

    5-item survey scored from 1 (never) to 5 (always) for a range of scores from 5 to 25 where higher scores indicate increased anger.

  5. PROMIS Emotional Distress - Anxiety Score

    Time frame: pre-intervention (baseline), post-intervention (12 weeks on study), follow-up (16 weeks on study)

    8-item survey scored from 1 (never) to 5 (always) for a range of scores from 8 to 40 where higher scores indicate increased anxiety.

  6. Herth Hope Index Score

    Time frame: pre-intervention (baseline), post-intervention (12 weeks on study), follow-up (16 weeks on study)

    12-item survey, scores range from 12 to 48 where higher scores indicate higher hope.

  7. Enright Forgiveness Inventory (EFI-30) Short Form Score

    Time frame: pre-intervention (baseline), post-intervention (12 weeks on study), follow-up (16 weeks on study)

    EFI-30 surveys 3 subscales for forgiveness: affective, behavioral, cognitive. It is scored from 1 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree), total scores range from 30-180, where higher scores indicate increased levels of forgiveness.

  8. Illinois Bully Scale Score

    Time frame: pre-intervention (baseline), post-intervention (12 weeks on study), follow-up (16 weeks on study)

    The Illinois Bully Scale is composed of three subscales: bullying, fighting, victimization. Mean scores are from 1-5 where higher scores indicate increased involvement in bullying, fighting, or victimization.

  9. Delaware Bullying Victimization Scale Score

    Time frame: pre-intervention (baseline), post-intervention (12 weeks on study), follow-up (16 weeks on study)

    This survey measures 4 dimensions of bullying: verbal, physical, social, and cyberbullying. Mean scores range from 1-6 where higher scores demonstrate more frequent victimization.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Jul 22, 2025
Registry last updated
May 27, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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