Struggling with Adversities of Life: The Role of Forgiveness in Patients Suffering from Fibromyalgia

Objectives: We compared the magnitude and direction of associations between forgiveness and pain, mental and physical health, quality of life, and anger in a sample of fibromyalgia (FMS) patients and healthy controls. In addition, we compared FMS and controls on mean levels of these variables. Methods: 173 FMS patients and 81 controls completed this study. Patients and controls were residents of Germany recruited with the support of the German Fibromyalgia Patient Association and several self-help groups. FMS patients and controls were about 53 years of age, mostly married (70%), Christians (81%), with levels of education ranging from 9 years to 13+. All participants completed assessments of forgiveness, pain, health, quality of life, and anger. Results: Analyses revealed that FMS patients reported higher pain and anger and poorer health and quality of life. FMS patients also reported lower levels of both forgiveness of self and others. Size and direction of associations of forgiveness with pain, health, quality of life, and anger in were not significantly different between healthy individuals and patients with FMS. Discussion: Forgiveness of self and others is beneficially associated with pain, health, quality of life, and anger in FMS patients at levels that are of similar size and direction as in healthy controls. However, FMS patients manifest lower levels of forgiveness of self and others. Therapeutic promotion of forgiveness as a psychosocial coping strategy may help patients with FMS to better manage psychological and physical symptoms, thereby enhancing well-being.