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.
Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78284, USA.
David V
DV
Espino
R Lillianne
RL
Macias
Robert C
RC
Wood
Johanna
J
Becho
Melissa
M
Talamantes
M Rosina
MR
Finley
Arthur E
AE
Hernandez
Rubén
R
Martinez
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*