Forgiveness and Religiosity Among Nurses: A Correlational Descriptive Study

The purpose of the study was to explore how nurses' religious beliefs affect their ability to forgive themselves and others. Design: A descriptive correlational mixed methods approach was employed. Methods: The data were collected using an online survey via Qualtrics using three validated tools Enright Forgiveness Inventory - 30 (to measure forgiveness of others), Enright Self-Forgiveness Inventory (to measure forgiveness of self), and Duke University Religious Index (to measure religiosity). Findings: As hypothesized, there was a meaningful relationship between forgiveness of others and intrinsic religiosity. Nurses with intrinsic religiosity or internal beliefs of a higher being showed a higher level of forgiveness toward their offender. The nurse forgiving the offender chose to replace negative, hurtful feelings with positive emotions such as compassion and love. Conclusion: Stressed nurses become distracted, may miss effective job performance, and patient care may suffer. Emotional and spiritual health and better patient outcomes can be attributed to the nurse forgiving others and the self. Nurses must be self-aware to develop forgiveness strategies for their well-being and provide effective care. Faculty should teach "person-centered" care and educate students to forgive others and themselves for effective patient care.