The Effects of Attitude to Death in the Hospice and Palliative Professionals on Their Terminal Care Stress

Yang, Kyung Hee; Kwon, Seong Il

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study was conducted to explore the effects of attitude to death in hospice and palliative professionals on their terminal care stress, and to analyze relationships among variables related to the two aforementioned parameters, such as depression and coping strategies.
METHODS
Participants were 131 hospice and palliative professionals from the cancer units of two tertiary hospitals and two general hospitals, two hospice facilities, two geriatric hospitals, and two convalescent hospitals in J province. Data were collected from April through June 2015 and analyzed using t-test, factor analysis, ANOVA (Scheffe test), ANCOVA, and Pearson's correlation and a path analysis using the SPSS/WIN 21.0 and AMOS 18.0 programs.
RESULTS
The score for attitude to death was low (2.63), and that for depression was 0.45. Among all, 16.0% of the participants showed need for depression management. They scored 3.82 on terminal care stress. The subcategory with the highest mark was inner conflicts on limitation given availability of medical services (4.04). The score on coping strategy was low (3.13). They used passive coping strategies such as interpersonal avoidance (4.03), fulfilling basic needs (3.65) such as sleeping or eating. Attitudes to death had a direct negative effect on the terminal care stress level and indirectly affected through depression and fulfilling basic needs (CS2).
CONCLUSION
It is necessary to provide hospice and palliative professionals with education on death and dying, as well as access to programs that provide emotional support and promote positive cognition of death and dying.