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Forgiveness and Health in Patient Populations

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Forgiveness and Health

Abstract

While many recent studies have examined the relationship between forgiveness and health in healthy populations, there is growing emphasis on studying this link in medical patient populations. This chapter will discuss the association between forgiveness and both mental and physical health in patients with medical illnesses, with a particular focus on those with cardiovascular disease, chronic pain, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, stroke, HIV/AIDS, cancer, and terminal illness. The few forgiveness interventions that have been studied in medical patients will also be discussed. In this burgeoning line of research, more research is needed to examine the relationship between forgiveness and objectively measured physiological markers of illness, using longitudinal rather than cross-sectional study designs, and testing the impact of forgiveness interventions on such physiological parameters. Forgiveness of self, other, and by God must also be considered when examining forgiveness in patients with medical illness.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. VA New York Harbor Healthcare System, New York, NY, USA

    Jennifer P. Friedberg Ph.D.

  2. New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Jennifer P. Friedberg Ph.D.

  3. William Alanson White Institute, New York, NY, USA

    Hillary Lewin Tuvia Ph.D.

  4. Silver School of Social Work, New York, NY, USA

    Rose Cha MSW

Authors
  1. Jennifer P. Friedberg Ph.D.
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  2. Hillary Lewin Tuvia Ph.D.
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  3. Rose Cha MSW
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Correspondence to Jennifer P. Friedberg Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, USA

    Loren Toussaint

  2. Dept of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA

    Everett Worthington

  3. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    David R. Williams

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Friedberg, J.P., Tuvia, H.L., Cha, R. (2015). Forgiveness and Health in Patient Populations. In: Toussaint, L., Worthington, E., Williams, D. (eds) Forgiveness and Health. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9993-5_8

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