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Anxiety, helplessness/hopelessness and ‘desire for hastened death’ in Korean cancer patients
Author(s) -
SHIM E.J.,
HAHM B.J.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
european journal of cancer care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.849
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1365-2354
pISSN - 0961-5423
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2354.2010.01202.x
Subject(s) - learned helplessness , medicine , anxiety , psychosocial , depression (economics) , clinical psychology , psychiatry , cancer , death anxiety , distress , hospital anxiety and depression scale , economics , macroeconomics
SHIM E.‐J. & HAHM B.‐J. (2011) European Journal of Cancer Care 20 , 395–402
Anxiety, helplessness/hopelessness and ‘desire for hastened death’ in Korean cancer patients Despite a relatively high rate of suicide associated with cancer, this issue has not been explored in Korean patients. This study investigates the prevalence and factors related to ‘the desire for hastened death’ (DHD) in Korean cancer patients. A cross‐sectional survey using standardised measures, including the Schedule of Attitudes toward Hastened Death and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, was performed with 131 patients with different types of cancer. 13.7% of the participants experienced moderate DHD (Schedule of Attitudes toward Hastened Death scores 5–9) and 1.7% experienced high DHD (≥10). Socio‐demographic and disease‐associated factors of the DHD included age, overall health and shortness of breath. The majority of psychosocial variables such as sadness, distress, ‘helplessness/hopelessness’ and ‘anxious preoccupation’ had a moderate association with DHD. Patients with a clinically significant level of anxiety or depression reported higher levels of DHD. Other significant correlates included ‘meaning/peace’, a sense of burdening family, dignity impairment and suicidal thoughts after diagnosis. Helplessness/hopelessness and anxiety were the strongest predictors of DHD in multivariate analysis. In view of significant role of helplessness/hopelessness and anxiety in the DHD of cancer patients, careful monitoring and management of these factors should be an integral part of cancer care to reduce the occurrence of DHD.