title: Creating the final conversations scale: a measure of end-of-life relational communication with terminally ill individuals.
abstract: Final conversations (FCs) are defined as the communicative interactions, both verbal and nonverbal, that occur between terminally ill patients and relational partners. In this study, the "Final Conversations Scale" was developed and tested. A total of 152 participants that had engaged in final conversations with individuals that were terminally ill completed the newly developed instrument. Factor analysis produced a five-factor structure, including: messages of spirituality/religion; expressions of love; proactive difficult relationship talk; everyday communication; and talk about illness/death. Participants' perceptions of the relational closeness and difficulty with the deceased significantly influenced the individuals' recalled frequency of FCs messages. Practical and scholarly implications focus on the needs of the family members regarding their communication with terminally ill individuals, as well as directions for future research with the FCs Scale.
authors.affiliation: a Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, Arizona State University , Tempe , Arizona , USA.
authors.forename: Mark Alan
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Generous
authors.forename: Maureen P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Keeley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003142:Communication; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003643:Death; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008149:Love; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012067:Religion; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D019452:Terminally Ill / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: end-of-life communication; family communication; final conversations; relational communication; scale development; verbal and nonverbal communication