A Qualitative Study on Forgiveness Experience by Wives of Alcohol Abusers.

Kim,  Hee Kyung; Lee,  Eun Jin

doi:2014.23.2.70

J Korean Acad Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs > Volume 23(2); 2014 > Article

Original Article

Journal of Korean Academy of psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing 2014;23(2):70-81.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12934/jkpmhn.2014.23.2.70 Published online June 30, 2014.

A Qualitative Study on Forgiveness Experience by Wives of Alcohol Abusers.

Hee Kyung Kim, Eun Jin Lee

¹Graduated School, Inha University, Incheon, Korea.
²Department of Nursing, Inha University, Incheon, Korea. peace-peace@hanmail.net

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study was done to describe the forgiveness experience following participation in forgiveness therapy of wives of men who abuse alcohol. METHODS: A qualitative research method was used to describe the lived experiences of the participants in forgiveness therapy. Sixteen wives of alcoholic men were purposefully sampled from two alcohol counseling centers located in South Korea. Forgiveness therapy consisted of 120-minutes sessions once weekly. The data were collected from four groups. Conversations in forgiveness therapy were recorded and dictated. Data were analyzed using the Fullilove's problem-oriented analysis method. RESULTS: The experience of wives of alcohol abusing husbands can be described as "Resistant," "Self-understanding," "Understanding her spouse," and "Growth" following forgiveness therapy. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that wives of men who abuse alcohol experienced recovery through forgiveness. Therefore forgiveness therapy can be used as an useful nursing intervention for inner healing and growth.

Key Words: Alcoholics; Forgiveness; Qualitative research