Characteristics of Persons Approving of Physician-Assisted Death

Abstract

The present study describes the characteristics and attitudes of non-terminally ill persons who support physician-assisted death (PAD) along with their expectations and preferences for care in the future. Participants (N = 101) completed a survey assessing current affect and attitudes and those expected if terminally ill. Participants' responses indicated they were a well-adjusted group with little evidence of depressive symptoms or past suicidal ideation. Current attitudes were differentially related to future care preferences. Findings suggest a need for longitudinal research on the stability of current attitudes and how they relate to PAD among non-terminally ill supporters of assisted death.

End-of-Life Issues in the United States after Terri Schiavo: Implications for Social Work Practice

“…The most commonly discussed types of euthanasia are physician-assisted suicide and active voluntary euthanasia. Physicianassisted suicide (PAS) is a practice whereby physicians prescribe medications or some other form of intervention to hasten death for terminally ill individuals (Blevins, Preston, & Werth, 2005). Active voluntary euthanasia (AVE) occurs when a patient requests medical assistance in order to bring an end to life, while passive voluntary euthanasia (PVE) is when life-sustaining treatment is withdrawn from a patient with the patient's permission (Pakes, 2005;Mahmood, 2008).…”

The Influence of Death Attitudes and Knowledge of End of Life Options on Attitudes toward Physician-Assisted Suicide

“…Previous research has examined relationships among individual attitudes and other characteristics related to physician assisted suicide with respect to decisions, expectations, and preferences for care (Blevins et al, 2005;Emanuel, Hsu, Starks, & Back, 1996;Pearlman et al, 2005). Future research may be encouraged undertake longitudinal studies in order to examine behavioral intention with respect to PAS attitudes as they may be related to choices.…”