title: The effects of Dying Well Education Program on Korean women with breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Breast cancer patients fear the relapse of their disease and subsequent death the most. Dying Well Education Program, a death education program, was offered for breast cancer patients to help them to reflect on the meanings of life and death.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study evaluated the effects of a death education on fear of death, anxiety and depression, hope, and spiritual well-being among breast cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-three women with breast cancer at a university hospital in South Korea who received Dying Well Education Program, once a week for 10 weeks, were compared with 25 participants in a control group who received the treatment as usual.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants in the experimental group were satisfied with the program and showed a decreased level of fear of death, and increased levels of hope and spiritual well-being when compared to the control group. The anxiety and depression scores for both experimental and control groups were initially within normal ranges before the program and further decreased over time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study confirmed that a properly designed death education program could serve as a means of increasing breast cancer patients' hope and spiritual well-being.
authors.affiliation: Nursing Department, Cheongju St.Mary's Hospital, Sangdang-gu, Cheongju-si, 360-215, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: bockryn@hanmail.net.
authors.forename: Bock-Ryn
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, College of Nursing and Health, Kongju National University, Gongju-si, Chungcheongnam-do, 314-701, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: ohcho@kongju.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Ok-Hee
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, The Catholic University of Korea, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 137-701, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: ysyoo@catholic.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Yang-Sook
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Yoo
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D056910:Republic of Korea
keywords: Anxiety; Breast neoplasm; Death; Depression; Education; Fear