Freedom in Christ: Quasi-Experimental Research on the Neil Anderson Approach

Abstract

This quasi-experimental investigation examined the psychological effects of participating in an intensive Freedom in Christ workshop offered at a graduate school of divinity. Pre-seminar, post-seminar, and three-week follow-up data were collected on 24 graduate student volunteers. Measures used included the Rosenberg Self Esteem Inventory, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Symptom Checklist 90-R (SLC-90-R), and a non-psychometrically normed 12-item inventory. Statistically significant reductions (p<.05 or lower) were found in several scales of the SCL-90-R (global severity index, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, hostility, somatization, paranoid ideation, and psychoticism). Anxiety was reduced as measured by the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and statistically significant increases in self-esteem and spirituality items were also found. The quasi-experimental nature of this research suggests great caution in interpreting these findings. Nevertheless, the results do demonstrate the appropriateness of further investigations of this healing model with more empirical designs.