Attitudes of nursing degree students towards end of life processes. A cultural approach (Spain-Senegal)

Abstract

Introduction The concept of death is abstract, complex and has a number of meanings. Thus, its understanding and the approach taken to it depend, to a large extent, on aspects such as age, culture, training and religion. Nursing students have regular contact with the process of death and so it is of great interest to understand the attitudes they have towards it. As we live in a plural society it is even more interesting to not only understand the attitudes of Spanish students but, also, those of students coming from other countries. In the present article, we seek to identify and compare the attitudes held by nursing degree students at Hekima-Santé University (Senegal) and the University of Huelva (Spain) about end of life processes. The study identifies elements that condition attitudes and coping with death, whilst considering curricular differences with regards to specific end of life training. Method A descriptive, cross-sectional and multi-center study was conducted. The overall sample (N = 142) was divided into groups: Hekima-Santé University (Dakar, Senegal) and the University of Huelva (Huelva, Spain). The measurement instruments used were an ad-hoc questionnaire and Bugen´s Coping with Death Scale. Results Statistically significant differences (p = 0.005, 95%CI) were found in relation to overall Bugen Scale scores. We can confirm that specialized end of life training (University of Huelva, Spain) did not lead to better coping when compared with a population whose academic curriculum did not provide specific training and who engaged in more religious practices (Hekima-Santé University, Senegal). Conclusions In cultures where religion not only influences the spiritual dimension of the individual, but acts in the ethical and moral system and consequently in the economic, educational and family sphere, the accompaniment at the end of life transcends the formative plane. Considering the plural society in which we live, the training that integrates the Degree in Nursing with regard to the care of the final process, must be multidimensional in which spirituality and faith are integrated, working emotional and attentional skills, as well as cultural competence strategies in this process.

Effects of a death education based on narrative pedagogy in a palliative care course among Chinese nursing students

“…The influence of religion and culture on perception is profound and should not be ignored. Religion is not only a belief but also directs the perception of society, health, life, and death (39). The score of FATCOD at the baseline was similar to another Chinese study (40), but lower than Mastroianni et al study (41).…”

“…This theory might explain the fluctuation of students' attitude toward death. Before the intervention, the total score of CDS was 117.29, a relatively low total score than a Spanish study (39). The original CDS had 30 items, but two of them have been deleted from the Chinese version, therefore the total score of the Chinese scale will be lower than the total score of the original scale.…”

Assessment of a medical student mentoring programme to improve attitudes related to grief and coping with death

“…The present study shows how a structured mentoring programme for second-year medical students was associated with improvements in coping with death, which has been related to the social, educational, and religious context in health sciences students [ 26 ].…”

“…In contrast to Schmidt [ 23 ], who analysed coping with death in a sample of Cuban and Spanish university students, this study obtained a higher mean on the Bugen's Coping with Death Scale. Furthermore, there was an increase in the proportion of students with good coping with death (44.6 %) after the mentoring programme, yet still lower than the percentages reported in nursing students (73.4 %) [ 26 ]. This could be explained by the fact that medical students, unlike nursing peers, feel less prepared to discuss the non-medical aspects of death [ 27 ].…”

“…This fact could be attributed to poor training in palliative care and insufficient practice with people at the end of life [ 31 ]. Moreover, according to research on nursing students, training in end-of-life support is not sufficient, as multidimensional and holistic training that integrates the spirituality and beliefs of individuals is also necessary [ 26 ]. Consequently, developing educational programmes that promote learning in palliative care is a key need [ 32 ].…”