Restore: The Journey Toward Self-Forgiveness: A Randomized Trial of Patient Education on Self-Forgiveness in Cancer Patients and Caregivers

Abstract

The present study evaluated “Restore: The Journey Toward Self-Forgiveness,” a brief psycho-spiritual curriculum for encouraging self-forgiveness. This was a randomized, wait-list controlled trial including 83 cancer patients and caregivers. Restore encourages self-acceptance, self-improvement, and commitment using prayer/meditation, reflection, and expressive writing in a workbook format. Measures of self-forgiveness, acceptance, self-improvement, and optimism/pessimism were collected before and after participation. Using Analysis of Covariance to control initial levels, post-session levels showed that Restore participants scored higher than wait-list controls on self-forgiveness (F(1,78) = 9.85, p < .001), acceptance (F(1,77) = 4.84, p < .05), and self-improvement (F(1,79) = 5.28, p < .05) and lower than wait-list controls on pessimism (F(1,77) = 5.01, p < .05). Changes in acceptance, self-improvement, and pessimism mediate the Restore effect on self-forgiveness (Beta = −.08, p < .05). This is the first known brief, evidence-based program for facilitating self-forgiveness in patients with self-forgiveness issues.

KEYWORDS:

• cancer
• education
• psycho-spiritual
• randomized trial
• self-acceptance
• self-forgiveness
• self-improvement

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Findings from this study will be presented at the 35th Annual Meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine in Philadelphia, PA in April, 2014.

Notes

Note. Sums do not always total to N = 83 (total sample) due to missing data. Percentages are based on non-missing data.

^a Median; ^b Minimum and Maximum.

*p < .05. **p < .001.

†p < .10. *p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001. N = 30.