Hope and chronic pain-a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Hope is considered as an important therapeutic factor in health and illness. Chronic pain affects a significant proportion of the world's population and causes great emotional and physical suffering to patients. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this systematic review is to explore the current literature on hope and chronic pain. METHODS: A comprehensive review of current literature on hope and chronic pain was undertaken. Several databases were used (incorporating EBSCO, MEDLINE, PUBMED). Search terms included 'hope' and 'hopelessness' in conjunction with 'chronic pain, 'pain management' and 'pain reduction'. Articles were included if they reported a study (1) exploring outcomes of hope as an intervention for chronic pain, (2) reported on hope specifically and not related concepts and (3) included a measurement of hope. RESULTS: A total of three articles were found which fit the inclusion criteria. Each article used different tools to measure hope. The review demonstrates a gap in the literature regarding hope as a therapeutic intervention for chronic pain specifically. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this review demonstrate that hope is influenced by several patient factors and has a positive impact on patients with chronic pain. The current literature supports the usefulness of hope as a therapeutic intervention for not only chronic pain but many chronic illnesses.

Forgiveness and chronic pain: a systematic review.

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.