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The role of physical and psychological symptoms in desire for death: a study of terminally ill cancer patients
Author(s) -
Mystakidou Kyriaki,
Parpa Efi,
Katsouda Emmanuela,
Galanos Antonis,
Vlahos Lambros
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
psycho‐oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.41
H-Index - 137
eISSN - 1099-1611
pISSN - 1057-9249
DOI - 10.1002/pon.972
Subject(s) - sadness , terminally ill , feeling , medicine , palliative care , appetite , cancer , depression (economics) , analysis of variance , clinical psychology , psychology , anger , social psychology , nursing , economics , macroeconomics
The current study assessed the attitudes of the desire for hastened death in terminally ill cancer patients and whether these are determined by their physical and psychological symptoms. The final sample consisted of 106 terminally ill cancer patients attending a Palliative Care Unit, in University of Athens, Greece, between June and October 2004. Significant associations were found between the desire for hastened death (D.H.D.) and ‘pain’ ( r =0.469, p <0.005), ‘fatigue’ ( r =0.591, p <0.0005), ‘loss of appetite’ ( r =0.622, p <0.0005) and ‘feeling sad’ ( r =0.635, p <0.0005). Statistically significant associations were also found between Schedule of Attitudes towards Hastened Death (SAHD) scores, age ( r =0.300, p =0.002) and ECOG ( p <0.0005). Twenty‐six percent of the patients reported high D.H.D. while 41% reported moderate desire. In the prediction of SHAD the contribution of ‘pain’ ( p =0.011), ‘lack of appetite’ ( p =0.012) and ‘sadness’ ( p =0.011) is high (42% of variance). Further findings suggest that D.H.D. is significantly related to ‘feeling sad’, ‘lack of appetite’, ‘pain’ and ‘fatigue’ after controlling for age, gender and performance status according to ECOG in terminally ill cancer patients. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.