Date

8-29-2025

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)

Chair

Bridgette Hester

Keywords

Christian, betrayed, wives, sex, addiction, pornography, forgiveness, restoration, marriage, healing, recovery, abuse, self efficacy, Christ-centered efficacy, Phenomenological, qualitative

Disciplines

Counseling

Abstract

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how betrayed Christian wives described their understanding of and motivation to forgive their husbands’ infidelity due to sex addiction in the United States. The theory which guided this study was Albert Bandura’s Self- Efficacy, as it examines one’s ability to use personal judgment in executing courses of action to contend with challenges. For this reason, the Self-Efficacy theory was best suited for understanding Christian wives’ lived experiences of forgiveness after experiencing sexual betrayal in marriage. Data was collected via virtual, open-ended, semi-structured interviews via Zoom following a thirty-two-question script addressing the following key topics of Christian faith, betrayal, and forgiveness. Amedeo Giorgi’s descriptive thematical analysis was the chosen design for this study. Participant transcripts provided data in which six themes were developed to answer the study’s two research questions. Findings captured key reasons and resources which contributed to the forgiveness and restoration process of betrayed Christian wives after experiencing marital betrayals.

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