title: Motivations, Death Anxiety, and Empathy in Hospice Volunteers in France.
abstract: This study examined the motivations for volunteering of hospice volunteers in France. In addition, their levels of death anxiety and empathy were measured and compared with those of French non-hospice volunteers and non-volunteers. Three questionnaires-the Inventory of Motivations for Hospice Palliative Care Volunteerism (IMHPCV), the Templer/McMordie Death Anxiety Scale, and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index-were sent via an Internet link to 2 hospice volunteer associations and to non-hospice volunteers and non-volunteers (only the hospice volunteers received the IMHPCV). Altruistic motives had the most influence on the respondents' decision to become a hospice volunteer. French hospice volunteers scored significantly lower on 3 categories of motives on the IMHPCV compared to a sample of Canadian hospice palliative care volunteers (study 2), suggesting that cultural differences may be involved. No significant differences were found in levels of death anxiety or empathy between the 3 groups of respondents of the study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense, Nanterre, France meriem.garbay@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Meriem
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garbay
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense, Nanterre, France.
authors.forename: Marie-Claire
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Gay
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Mount Allison University, Sackville, Canada.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Claxton-Oldfield
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000533:Altruism; D001293:Attitude to Death; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D017051:Hospice Care / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D012067:Religion; D014838:Volunteers / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: death anxiety; empathy; hospice; hospice volunteer; palliative care