title: The influence of awareness of terminal condition on spiritual well-being in terminal cancer patients.
abstract: We developed a Spirituality Transcendence Measure (STM) and studied whether awareness of terminal illness affects spiritual well-being in terminal cancer patients. Three sources of spiritual transcendence--the situational, the moral and biographical, and the religious aspect--were assessed in the STM. Cronbach's alpha of the STM was 0.95, and the principle axis factor analysis extracted only one factor. Thirty-seven terminal cancer patients with male predominance (59.5%) were studied. Awareness of terminal illness was associated with a higher total STM score (Z = -2.21, P = 0.027), along with the individual scores for each of the three transcendences (Z = -2.39, P = 0.017; Z = -2.71, P = 0.007; and Z = -1.96, P = 0.050). Acceptance of death was associated with a higher situational score (Z = 2.01, P = 0.046) and a higher religious score (Z = -2.27, P = 0.023). Announcement of testament was associated with a higher situational score (Z = -2.30, P = 0.021). We conclude that awareness of terminal illness is associated with spiritual well-being. Telling the complete truth is necessary even when dealing with terminal conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kai-Kuen
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: Tai-Yuan
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: Ching-Yu
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001293:Attitude to Death; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods; D011788:Quality of Life; D029181:Spirituality; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000523:psychology*; D014342:Truth Disclosure