Physician-assisted suicide attitudes of older Mexican-American and non-Hispanic white adults: does ethnicity make a difference?
Little is known about attitudes toward physician-assisted suicide (PAS) in various ethnic groups. This study compares attitudes held by older Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic whites and examines subject characteristics that may influence their responses. A convenience sample of 100 older Mexican Americans and 108 non-Hispanic whites (n=208) aged 60 to 89 were recruited from four primary care community-based practice sites in San Antonio, Texas. Interview items measured attitudes toward PAS, cognitive status, functional status, and religiosity. Older Mexican Americans (52.7%) reported stronger agreement than non-Hispanic whites (33.7%) with PAS. Male sex (odds ratio (OR)=2.62, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.09-6.35) predicted agreement with legalization in Mexican Americans, whereas lower religiosity scores (OR=0.84, 95% CI=0.75-0.94) were predictive of agreement in older non-Hispanic whites. This study is the first to find positive attitudes among community-dwelling older Mexican Americans toward PAS that are higher than those of older non-Hispanic white adults. Sex and religious views were important determinants of positive attitudes toward PAS. Larger, more-generalizable studies should be conducted to confirm the attitudinal patterns that have been identified in this study.
Espino
David V
DV
Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78284, USA.
Macias
R Lillianne
RL
Wood
Robert C
RC
Becho
Johanna
J
Talamantes
Melissa
M
Finley
M Rosina
MR
Hernandez
Arthur E
AE
Martinez
Rubén
R
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001290:Attitude / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012067:Religion; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D017236:Suicide, Assisted / Q000208:ethnology*; D013781:Texas; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*