Psychosocial— spiritual correlates of death distress in patients with life-threatening medical conditions

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify demographic, disease, health care, and psychosocial-spiritual factors associated with death distress (death-related depression and anxiety). Cross-sectional baseline data from a randomized controlled trial were used. Outpatients (n=70) were recruited from an urban academic medical centre and proprietary hospital. All patients had life-threatening medical conditions, including cancer; pulmonary, cardiac, liver, or kidney disease; HIV/AIDS; or geriatric frailty. Measures of death distress, physical symptom severity, depression and anxiety symptoms, spiritual well-being, social support, patient-perceived physician communication, and patient-perceived quality of health care experiences were administered. In a hierarchical multiple regression model, higher death distress was significantly associated with living alone, greater physical symptom severity, more severe depression symptoms, lower spiritual well-being, and less physician communication as perceived by the patient. Death distress as a unique experiential construct was discriminable among younger patients with specific, diagnosable life-threatening conditions, but less so among geriatric frailty patients. The findings suggest that the experience of death distress among patients with life-threatening medical conditions is associated with the psychosocial-spiritual dimensions of the patient's life. Attention to these dimensions may buffer the negative affects of death distress.

Is there a correlation between spirituality and anxiety and depression in patients with advanced cancer?

“…In other studies involving patients with terminal cancer, low levels of spirituality have been found to correlate with negative mood states, such as tension, anxious preoccupation, depression, anger, cognitive avoidance [7,12,24], as well as hopelessness and suicidal ideation [6,30] and the desire for a hastened death [3]. Furthermore, spiritual suffering is often apparent in patients with physical symptoms that do not respond to conventional measures [38].…”

http://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/nursing_theses/15

“…However, there are times when there are no outward signs. Chibnall, Videen, Duckro, & Miller (2002) encouraged the implementation of spiritual intervention to increase well-being, health and quality of life. Few studies have been conducted on the design of spiritual interventions and their impact on SQOL.…”

Short-term monitoring of cognitive functions before and during the first course of treatment

“…Additionally, a questionnaire was used to assess depression. Depression is a well-known factor affecting cognitive performance in response to a life-threatening disease like cancer (Moffic and Paykel 1975;Rodin and Voshart 1986;Massie 1990;Valente and Saunders 1996;Aragona et al 1997;Chibnall 2002;Gallagher et al 2002;Smith et al 2002). Earlier studies attributed cognitive symptoms of cancer to emotional consequences of the disease rather than to treatment factors (Oxman and Silberfarb 1980;Silberfarb 1983;Silberfarb and Oxman 1988).…”