Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Email this article to a Colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Articles & Searches Download to citation manager Citing Articles via Google Scholar Articles by Rosenfeld, B. Articles by Schuster, M. Search for Related Content PubMed Citation Articles by Rosenfeld, B. Articles by Schuster, M. Depression Syndromes Secondary to General Medical Disorders Suicide

Desire for Hastened Death Among Patients With Advanced AIDS

Received June 18, 2005; revised November 15, 2005; accepted November 30, 2005. From Fordham University, Bronx, NY (BR). Address correspondence to Barry Rosenfeld, Ph.D., Dept. of Psychology, Fordham University, 441 E. Fordham Rd, Bronx, NY 10458. e-mail: rosenfeld{at}fordham.edu

The recent debate over legalization of physician-assisted suicide has fueled interest in understanding factors that lead medically ill patients to seek a hastened death. The authors investigated the prevalence and predictors of desire for hastened death in 372 patients with advanced AIDS who were newly admitted to a palliative-care facility. Clinician-rated and self-report measures of desire for hastened death, depression, hopelessness, spiritual well-being, social support, pain, and physical symptom burden were administered to assess the factors that correspond to a high desire for death. The prevalence ranged from 4.6% to 8.3%, significantly lower than in previous studies of patients with advanced or terminal cancer. Multivariate models revealed significant and unique effects for both hopelessness and depression, with these variables accounting for a large proportion of the variance in each model. Authors discuss the implications of these findings for palliative care practice and the assisted-suicide debate.

Get information about faster international access.

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2006 Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine. All rights reserved.

Home | Search | Current Issue | Past Issues | Subscribe | All APPI Journals | Help | Contact Us