Medical Students' Death Anxiety: Severity and Association With Psychological Health and Attitudes Toward Palliative Care

Thiemann, Pia; Quince, Thelma; Benson, John; Wood, Diana; Barclay, Stephen

doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2015.03.014

Cited by 64 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Yalom describes “the problem of human mortality as one of the givens of human experience”. Health professionals are not immune from death anxiety themselves . There is a rich literature on death anxiety in health professionals that indicates that those who have high levels of death anxiety have more negative attitudes towards palliative care, are less likely to discuss end of life issues with patients and have poorer psychosocial outcomes themselves .…”

Section: Why Is the Relationship Between Death Anxiety And Fcr So Undmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fear of cancer recurrence and death anxiety

et al. 2018

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In 2013, 3 systematic reviews of fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) and its predictors were published. All 3 concurred that FCR is a highly prevalent problem and amongst the largest unmet needs of cancer survivors, even 5 or more years after treatment. However, between them they identified only 1 study that had investigated the relationship between death anxiety and FCR. This is surprising because it is well acknowledged that a diagnosis of cancer, a potentially life-threatening illness, is associated with a number of existential issues that give rise to psychological sequelae such as intrusive thoughts about death and other post-traumatic symptoms. Outside the cancer literature, there has recently been a call to identify death anxiety as a transdiagnostic construct that underlies many anxiety disorders even in healthy people. And yet, the relevance of death anxiety to FCR has not been studied. We explore the barriers to the study of death anxiety and FCR and the reasons that a potential link between the 2 might have important theoretical and clinical implications. We conclude that establishing the relationship between death anxiety, FCR and other existential issues is essential in order to fully understand FCR, particularly in the context of advanced disease. We further conclude that whether death anxiety underlies FCR has important clinical implications which would potentially allow us to optimise currently available evidence-based treatments.

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Section: Why Is the Relationship Between Death Anxiety And Fcr So Undmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fear of cancer recurrence and death anxiety

et al. 2018

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“…Attitudes to palliative care were positive, declining in the early years of the course but restored following greater clinical experience. A subsequent study 17 revealed the importance of anxiety about death as a predictor of ongoing psychological distress and concerns about future clinical capability to deliver palliative care. At matriculation, 23% of our students had experienced a recent close personal loss and between 13% and 22.5% were bereaved in each year of the course.…”

Section: Diana F Woodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mens sana in corpore sano : student well‐being and the development of resilience

Wood¹

2015

Med Educ

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“…However, evidence has been emerging indicating that nurses and doctors who care for patients with a terminal condition, both within formal palliative care arrangements and outside of these, may suffer from increased death anxiety, triggered by their daily routines with dying patients (Lowry, 1997) (Anderson, et al, 2015) T HCW (Rogers, 1951) and capacity to engage in an effective helping-relationship with the patient and family leading to the use of avoidance mechanisms, (Bernard & Creux, 2003) (Friedrichsen & Milberg, 2006) (Thiemann, et al, 2015). When patients perceive HCWs to be withdrawn, they tend to feel abandoned and without backup (Connelly, 2009) (Larsson, et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Including personal development in palliative care education to address death anxiety

Melo¹,

Billings

2017

Int J Palliat Nurs

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Background: Death anxiety may interfere with health care workers' (HCW) relationship with patients and their families. Aims: Evaluate an intervention to address death anxiety and improve HCW skills dealing with patients/families in palliative and end-of-life care. Design: Quasi-experimental mixed methods approach with a pre-test/post-test design. Participants: 208 HCWs receiving the intervention and working in end-of-life care, in and out of palliative care units, were invited to answer quantitative and qualitative questionnaires. In the end, 150 returned with quantitative answers and of these, 94 with qualitative answers as well. Additionally, out of the 150 participants, 26 were recruited for interview. Results: Pre-and post-test results revealed a significant reduction in levels of death anxiety, an increase in existential wellbeing, and a significant improvement in HCWs' perception of the quality of their helping relationship skills with patients/families. Content analysis provided an understanding of the difficulties experienced by the HCWs and the positive impact of the intervention. Conclusion: An intervention to address death anxiety and help relationship skills can reduce the use of avoidance mechanisms and improve HCW self-perceived psycho-existential support to patients/families.

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Medical Students' Death Anxiety: Severity and Association With Psychological Health and Attitudes Toward Palliative Care

Abstract: The associations between high DA and lower psychological health and negative attitudes toward palliative care are concerning. It is important to address DA during medical education to enhance student's psychological health and the quality of their future palliative care provision.

Cited by 64 publications

References 36 publications

Fear of cancer recurrence and death anxiety

Fear of cancer recurrence and death anxiety

Mens sana in corpore sano : student well‐being and the development of resilience

Including personal development in palliative care education to address death anxiety

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