Willingness to forgive in contexts of armed conflict: A systematic review

Abstract

This systematic review examines the willingness of victims and non-victims or members of civil society to forgive in the context of armed conflicts. The review addresses two primary research questions: (1) How do individuals affected by armed conflict conceptualize forgiveness? (2) What individual, interpersonal, and contextual factors influence their willingness to forgive? A total of 30 reviewed articles comprising 35 individual studies, published between 2000 and 2024, were retrieved from the Web of Science and Scopus databases, in English and Spanish. The final search was conducted in July 2025. Inclusion criteria focused on forgiveness in armed conflict settings, involving victims, non-victims or members of civil society. Studies addressing apology, reconciliation, and intergroup forgiveness were considered. Exclusion criteria included studies on forgiveness in family, romantic, educational, or criminal contexts unrelated to armed conflict, as well as books, conference proceedings, systematic reviews, and theoretical papers. Risk of bias was assessed using the CASP tool, which indicated low risk of bias in most studies, although some findings lack generalizability due to methodological limitations. The findings indicate that forgiveness is a complex and multidimensional process with significant implications for mental health, social reconciliation, and peacebuilding effort. Facilitating factors included acknowledgment of harm, apologies, justice measures, religious and cultural beliefs, and guarantees of non-repetition. Conversely, lack of trust, empathy, and the severity of offenses reduced willingness to forgive. Limitations include the heterogeneity of study designs and cultural contexts