Trauma, forgiveness, and spirituality: a discordant twin study of US Vietnam combat veterans
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
The constructs of forgiveness and spirituality/religion (S/R) have long been associated with recovery from trauma exposure, but how they relate to potential mechanistic variables of health, socioeconomic status (SES), and social engagement is less understood. To examine this issue, self-report data were collected from 254 monozygotic twin pairs with a mean age of 53 who were discordant for combat-related trauma exposure in Vietnam. Participants with missing data on relevant variables were removed, leaving 360 individuals in the sample comprised of 157 twin pairs and 46 unmatched twins.Regression models were created in 4 stages. Stage 1 examined hypothesized direct effects of combat exposure on multiple components of health, SES, and social engagement. Stage 2 examined the hypothesized impact of combat exposure on forgiveness variables and S/R-related variables. Stage 3 examined the hypothesized relationship between forgiveness variables and S/R variables and multiple components of health, SES, and social engagement. Stage 4 examined the impact of forgiveness separately among combat-exposed and non-combat-exposed participants to test for a differential pattern of association across these groups.
Each stage of the study revealed statistically significant associations (p=<.05), with variable support for the hypotheses in stages 1-3. In Stage 1, combat exposure was significantly related only to mental health. In Stage 2, combat exposure was related to forgiveness, but not to S/R. In Stage 3, forgiveness of self was a unique and influential predictor as it was associated with all health-related variables as well as relationship satisfaction. Forgiveness of others and S/R variables were highly correlated, potentially masking unique effects of each variable when they were included together in the regression model. Nevertheless, S/R variables were significantly associated with mental health, physical functioning, and engagement in family relationships. As hypothesized, Stage 4 revealed differing patterns of significant associations among the two groups, such that forgiveness of self was related to social engagement among combat-exposed but not among non-combat-exposed participants.
The results of this study provide insight into the complex relationship between the constructs of trauma, forgiveness, and spirituality. This study also highlights the relevance of these constructs to the development of clinical interventions given their impact on key aspects of well-being.
Description
2023