Correlates of death anxiety among Taiwanese cancer patients.
BACKGROUND
Patients with cancer experience the approaching of death, which increases their fear of dying and the intensity of suffering.


OBJECTIVE
This study examined relationships among cancer patients' demographic characteristics, sense of purpose in life, and death anxiety.


METHODS
The study used a cross-sectional correlational design. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, a sense-of-purpose-in-life scale, and a death anxiety scale. The stepwise multiple regression analysis was conducted to identify the factors that influenced the degree of death anxiety.


RESULTS
Two hundred nineteen cancer patients who met the criteria for participation in the study completed the questionnaires. Results demonstrated that only 33.8% of participants had a sense of purpose in life, whereas 38.4% were uncertain about sense of purpose in life, and 27.8% indicated that they had no sense of purpose in life. Sense of purpose in life, level of fear of disease relapse, and sex were significant predictors, accounting for 32% of all variance in levels of death anxiety among cancer patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Sense of purpose in life, level of fear of disease relapse, and sex had detrimental effects on levels of death anxiety among cancer patients.


CONCLUSIONS
The research results may provide clinicians with an understanding of death anxiety among cancer patients and facilitate improvements in sense of purpose in life among patients, which may reduce death anxiety among such patients.
Department of Nursing, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Pei-Ling
PL
Tang
Chou-Ping
CP
Chiou
Huey-Shyan
HS
Lin
Chi
C
Wang
Shi-Long
SL
Liand
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D001293:Attitude to Death; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012649:Self Concept; D013624:Taiwan; D055815:Young Adult