Determinants of death anxiety in patients with advanced cancer

Neel, Caroline; Lo, Chris; Rydall, Anne; Hales, Sarah; Rodin, Gary

doi:10.1136/bmjspcare-2012-000420

Cited by 89 publications

(88 citation statements)

References 42 publications

(32 reference statements)

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“…The themes evident among individuals with high DADDS scores concerned the overwhelming nature of their emotional experience and the difficulty of making sense of their situation. Their distress was exacerbated by worries about the impact of death on loved ones and the unavailability of emotional support in intimate relationships, aligning with previous research (11,35,36).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

“…This experience may broadly encompass concerns about the extinction of self and identity (1), the failure to have found personal meaning and social relatedness in life (3), the impact of death on loved ones (4), and the pain and suffering that may accompany the dying process (5). Death anxiety in response to the salience of mortality varies across individuals and over the life course (6) and has been related to differences in spirituality (7,8), life stage (4,9), attachment security (10), self-worth (11), and coping strategies (12).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Inviting end-of-life talk in initial CALM therapy sessions: A conversation analytic study

Shaw

Chrysikou

Davis

et al. 2017

Patient Education and Counseling

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How to cite TSpace itemsAlways cite the published version, so the author(s) will receive recognition through services that track citation counts, e.g. Scopus. If you need to cite the page number of the author manuscript from TSpace because you cannot access the published version, then cite the TSpace version in addition to the published version using the permanent URI (handle) found on the record page. Aim: To inform our understanding of death anxiety in patients with advanced cancer by exploring the relationship between this self-reported symptom and its clinical presentation. Design: Participants were part of a psychotherapy trial in advanced cancer. First therapy session transcripts were analyzed using interpretive description in patients reporting low, moderate and high death anxiety on the Death and Dying Distress Scale (DADDS). Setting/participants: 16 participants (10 women and 6 men) with advanced or metastatic cancer were recruited at The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Canada. In this sample, 6 reported low death anxiety scores (DADDS 0-19), 5 moderate (DADDS 20-50), and 5 high (DADDS 51-75). Results: The low death anxiety group exhibited psychological readiness for death, or contrastingly, non-reflectiveness about death. The moderate group recognized the imminence of mortality, which impacted treatment decisions and future plans. Prior experience with death was discussed as raising the salience of mortality. The high group felt dominated by powerful emotions and could not make sense of their situation. Their distress was exacerbated by substantial relational concerns. Conclusions: Self-reported death anxiety is affected by the awareness and ability to reflect on mortality. DADDS scores may facilitate exploration of this symptom as part of a clinical assessment and may serve to guide treatment approaches. Greater attention to death anxiety is consistent with and recommended by contemporary approaches to palliative care.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inviting end-of-life talk in initial CALM therapy sessions: A conversation analytic study

Shaw

Chrysikou

Davis

et al. 2017

Patient Education and Counseling

Self Cite

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“…There was considerable variability in both attachment anxiety and EBV VCA IgG antibody titers. In addition, people who were higher on attachment anxiety were above the normal range for patient populations based on the extant literature using the ECRM16 (Neel et al, 2013; Sockalingam et al, 2012, 2013). Individuals who were lost to attrition did not significantly differ on any of the study variables compared with those who completed both visits; however, substantive differences may be biased by uneven group sizes.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attachment anxiety is related to Epstein–Barr virus latency

Fagundes

Jaremka

Glaser

et al. 2014

Brain, Behavior, and Immunity

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Attachment theory provides a framework for understanding individual differences in chronic interpersonal stress. Attachment anxiety, a type of relationship insecurity characterized by worry about rejection and abandonment, is a chronic interpersonal stressor. Stress impacts cellular immunity, including herpes-virus reactivation. We investigated whether attachment anxiety was related to the expression of a latent herpesvirus, Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), when individuals were being tested for breast or colon cancer and approximately 1 year later. Participants (N = 183) completed a standard attachment questionnaire and provided blood to assess EBV viral capsid antigen (VCA) IgG antibody titers. Individuals with more attachment anxiety had higher EBV VCA IgG antibody titers than those with less attachment anxiety. The strength of the association between attachment anxiety and antibody titers was the same at both assessments. This study is the first to show an association between latent herpesvirus reactivation and attachment anxiety. Because elevated herpesvirus antibody titers reflect poorer cellular immune system control over the latent virus, these data suggest that high attachment anxiety is associated with cellular immune dysregulation.

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“…The second item (No. 11) stated that physical suffering affected the onset of death anxiety where physical suffering was one of the things closely related to the increased death anxiety (Neel, Lo, Rydall, & Rodin, 2015). The low death anxiety can increase dramatically when a person experiencing stress or threat, such as the health problems, illness, or death of someone close (Khawar, Aslam, & Aamir, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Death Anxiety Level among Patients with Chronic Renal Failure Undergoing Hemodialysis

Dewina

Emaliyawati

Praptiwi

2018

jnc

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Chronic renal failure (CRF) is one of chronic diseases that can decrease the quality of life and trigger anxiety that is formed by negative thinking, including thought of death. The excessive thought of death will cause stress. This situation will have an impact on care planning, preparation for facing death and difficulties in achieving a dignified quality of death. This study aimed to identify the level of death anxiety among CRF patients undergoing haemodialysis. This study used a quantitative descriptive method involving 73 patients recruited by using a consecutive sampling technique. Data were collected by using a Death Anxiety Scale (DAS) Templer instrument that was adapted for haemodialysis patient. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, frequency, and percentage).The results of this study showed that nearly half of the patients had moderate death anxiety (n=35), 27.4% respondents (n=20) experienced low death anxiety, and 24.7% respondents (n=18) experienced high death anxiety. Based on the results, it is necessary to manage the death anxiety of CRF patients undergoing haemodialysis. Some potential approaches may include spiritual therapy, group counselling during haemodialysis, cognitive therapy (positive perception strengthening), and health education related to haemodialysis procedures and chronic renal failure.

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Determinants of death anxiety in patients with advanced cancer

Cited by 89 publications

References 42 publications

Inviting end-of-life talk in initial CALM therapy sessions: A conversation analytic study

Inviting end-of-life talk in initial CALM therapy sessions: A conversation analytic study

Attachment anxiety is related to Epstein–Barr virus latency

Death Anxiety Level among Patients with Chronic Renal Failure Undergoing Hemodialysis

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