Effects of reach and process models on forgiveness, Anger and depression among adolescents in Bimbilla, Ghana.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of REACH and Process Models on forgiveness, anger and depression among 11- to 19-year-old adolescents in junior high schools in Bimbilla in the Northern Region of Ghana. The study employed a mixed method design. The population for the study comprised all junior high school students totalling 3632. Of this number, 1,888 (55%) of the students were males, while 1744(45%) were females. The accessible population was 1,636 from eight (8) JHSs with 952(55%) of them being boys and the remaining 684(45%) being girls. The participants were selected based on their low levels of forgiveness and high levels of anger and depression determined by Depression Mode Scale and Anger Self-Report. Purposive sampling procedure was used to select 60 participants for the study, with each group having 20 participants. Three main instruments were adopted for the study. Enright Forgiveness Inventory (EFI). Anger self-report questionnaire (ASR), and Depressed Mood Scale (DMS). One-way and Two-way Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) were used to test the hypotheses. Both the REACH and Process models are efficacious in reducing the level of forgiveness among adolescent JHS students in Bimbilla. The results also revealed that the REACH and Process models were efficacious in reducing the levels of depression and anger among adolescents JHS students irrespective of their age and gender. In view of this, it was recommended that the REACH model and Process model should be considered for use as therapies for treating unforgiveness in order to improve students‘ psychological well-being. In addition, it was recommended that counsellors should encourage and support students/ clients who have emotional problems such as anger, stress, anxiety and depression to participate in forgiveness therapy groups whenever such groups begin. Counselling workshops and seminars should be organised by the educational institutions in Bimbilla to sensitise students and the general public on the efficacy of the two forgiveness therapies in order to bring about a cordial relationships among the people of Bimbilla