Forgiveness and chronic pain: a systematic review
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REVIEW ARTICLE
Forgiveness and chronic pain: a systematic review Sheena O’Beirne 1 & Anna-Maria Katsimigos 1 & Dominic Harmon 1,2 Received: 3 January 2020 / Accepted: 5 February 2020 # Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland 2020
Abstract Background Forgiveness is becoming increasingly recognized for its role in healthcare, having shown promising effects in patients suffering myriad diseases, from coronary artery disease to HIV to breast cancer. Aims To review the current literature examining forgiveness and its relationship specifically to chronic pain. Method In July 2019, a search was carried out of electronic databases (Academic Search Complete, AMED, Biomedical Reference Collection, General Science, Medline, PsycArticles, PsycInfo, Social Sciences Full Text and SPORTDiscus). Further results were obtained from reference lists. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied using PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews. Results The initial search yielded 354 results, and after duplicates were removed and inclusion and exclusion criteria applied, the final result was seven papers to be reviewed. Of the seven papers reviewed, five showed a relationship between lower levels of forgiveness and either increased experience or decreased tolerance for pain. One paper showed higher levels of empathy improving pain levels and suggests that forgiveness could enhance this experience of empathy. One study resulted in a higher level of pain among patients with higher forgiveness scores, although it was qualified that this particular patient population had a higher attachment anxiety, which may have impeded their ability to utilize forgiveness therapy. Conclusions There is an association between the capacity to forgive and the experience of chronic pain. Further research should examine forgiveness as an intervention in a population of chronic pain patients to explore this relationship further. Keywords Chronic pain . Forgiveness . Systematic review
Introduction Forgiveness is a concept which spans different faiths and theology and is often evident in religious teaching [1]. It is taught to children through classic stories like The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe [2], and it features in popular culture, embraced as a theme in Disney films [3] and in musicals like Les Miserables [4]. It has been widely acknowledged among society as a positive and honourable feature of personality and behaviour. It has been studied in terms of psychological health, especially with regard to victims of trauma or injustice, and has * Dominic Harmon [email protected] 1
Graduate Entry Medical School, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
2
Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Limerick University Hospital, Dooradoyle, Limerick, Ireland
been shown to have a positive correlation with psychological wellbeing [5]. The link between forgiveness and health is thought to be related to the stress response associated with negative emotions such as anger or resentment after a perceived injustice or offence [6]. Studies have shown that for
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