title: Perceptions of two therapeutic approaches for palliative care patients experiencing death anxiety.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evidenced-based psychotherapies are not well researched for palliative care patients experiencing unrelenting anxiety about dying, even less research is focused on young adult palliative care patients with death anxiety. The aim of this study is to provide preliminary data regarding potential clients' perceptions of using evidenced based treatments with dying populations who are experiencing death anxiety.
  
  
  METHODS
  104 college students were used as potential clients and randomly assigned to watch either a short video of a cognitive therapy (CT) session or of an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) session focused on treating a young adult diagnosed with an acute lymphoid leukemia expressing death anxiety. After watching the video, potential clients rated the session impact of the therapy approach using the Session Evaluation Questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No differences in ratings of session impact were found between potential clients who viewed the CT session and the ACT session. In regards to potential clients' views of session impact variables, their view of session smoothness was positively related to their post-session positivity, but inversely related to their view of session depth. Additionally, a positive correlation was found between potential clients' views of the therapist and session depth.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This preliminary study suggests that palliative care patients expressing death anxiety may benefit from either ACT or CT for death anxiety, however, future research is needed to explore the usefulness of each approach. Findings of this study support the theory that ACT and CT are viewed to have a similar session impact in the palliative care population.
authors.affiliation: Clement J. Zablocki Milwaukee Veteran's Affairs,Milwaukee,Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Joleen Carol
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Sussman
authors.affiliation: University of Iowa,Iowa city,Iowa.
authors.forename: William Ming
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D001293:Attitude to Death; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010166:Palliative Care; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014741:Video Recording; D055815:Young Adult