Examining nurses' death anxiety and attitudes toward caring for dying patients: a cross-sectional study in Turkey

Death anxiety may reduce the interaction between nurses and patients, causing nurses to focus more on the physical care needs of patients and ignore their psychosocial and spiritual needs. This study was conducted to examine nurses' death anxiety and attitudes toward caring for dying patients. The data were collected using an information form, the Thorson-Powell Death Anxiety Scale (TPDAS), and the Frommelt Attitudes Toward the Care of the Dying Scale (FATCOD). The mean TPDAS and FATCOD scores were 46.71 (14.48) and 104.97 (13.55), respectively, and it was determined that they had moderate death anxiety and positive attitudes towards the care of dying patients. Those working in intensive care and internal medicine clinics had more positive attitudes toward caring for dying patients compared with those working in surgical clinics. Those who reported having a strong faith had lower death anxiety.

The Reliability and Validity Study of Turkish Version of the Death Depression Scale-Revised Among Nurses

The study aimed to establish the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Death Depression Scale-Revised (DDS-R) with a sample of 284 nurses. Cronbach's coefficient for the whole scale was .909 and the sub-dimension values were calculated as .934, .798, .715, and .537. The test-retest reliability coefficient was found to be .880. The content validity index (CVI) of the scale was calculated as .86. The results of the exploratory factor analysis showed that 62.254% variance was explained in 4 sub-dimensions of the scale (existential vacuum, death emptiness, other death, death sadness). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that a four-dimensional structure yielded a good fit (X2/df = 3.124, RMSEA = .087). TDDS-R was found to be a valid and reliable measurement tool in determining the death depression levels of nurses.

Death Anxiety and Associated Factors Among Oncology Nurses and Physicians

Background: Providing care for dying patients is a stress-inducing, complicated, as well as essential responsibility for health care providers. Furthermore, end-of-life care is associated with intense personal emotions such as grief, anxiety, depression, frustration, and guilt. Moreover, caring for terminally ill patients is a challenging task that confronts physicians and nurses with the psychological concerns of dealing with death, which is accompanied by a high level of physical and psychological discomfort.Objective: This study was aimed to measure the level of death anxiety among oncology nurses and physicians and to determine the associated factors that influence their level of death anxiety.Method: A cross-sectional descriptive design was used to guide this study, a non-probability convenience sampling method was used to recruit 200 oncology nurses and physicians from one specialized cancer center in Jordan. Data were collected using an electronic self-reported questionnaire include demographic data sheet and Collett-Lester fear of death scale, as well as all participants were invited via email for voluntary participation in this study.Result: The results revealed that the oncology nurses and physicians exhibited a moderate levels of death anxiety (CLDFODS = 91.07), furthermore, the result showed that female nurses and physicians exhibited a higher level of anxiety than male. Further, there were statistically significant differences in nurses' and physicians' level of death anxiety according to years of experience, receiving previous education on death and dying, and religious beliefs. On the other hand, there is no statistically significant differences in nurses' and physicians' level of death anxiety based on present or previous experience with loss of someone close to them.Conclusion: Jordanian oncology Nurses and physicians exhibited a moderate levels of death anxiety and fear of death, therefore, they have to address the inevitability of mortality since they are caring for dying patients frequently. They have to understand and acknowledge their thoughts regarding death and dying, as well as their death anxiety level before interacting with dying patients.

Does Death Anxiety Affect the Attitude Towards Organ Donation?

BACKGROUND

It is important to determine the attitudes of nurse candidates towards organ transplantation and their death anxiety levels to help patient families make an informed decision about organ donation.

AIM

The aim of this study is to examine nurse candidates' public knowledge and attitude towards organ donation.

METHODS

The research was conducted with nursing students at the Faculty of Health Sciences, between December 2021 and February 2022. Data were collected using a personal information form, Fear of Death Scale (FODS), and Organ Donation Attitude Scale (ODAS).

RESULTS

Our study determined that the percentage of students who wanted to donate organs and the death anxiety average of students were moderate. It was determined that students' positive attitudes towards organ donation were high and negative attitudes were low, and there was a negative relationship between them (p<0.001). In this study, in the comparison of death anxiety by gender, the mean scores of women's death anxiety, thinking about death and witnessing death, suffering, and uncertainty of death were found to be higher than men's, and the difference was significant (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

As a result, it is thought that improving the attitudes of future nurse candidates towards organ transplantation will significantly affect their organ transplantation decisions. Education is required for students with insufficient experience.

Analysis of Nurses' Attitudes toward Patient Death

(1) The aim of the study was to analyze nurses' attitudes toward a patient's death, taking into account the emotions they experience and the general perception of death. (2) The study involved 516 nurses from the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. The research was carried out using the diagnostic survey method using The Death Attitudes Profile Revisited (DAP-R-PL), the Scale of Fear and Fascination with Death, and a demographic questionnaire. (3) Research has shown that nurses accept the phenomenon of death as a natural process of human life; however, they adopt the attitude of fear of death. Most of the respondents experienced: sadness (73.4%), helplessness (58.5%), and regret (43.6%) due to the patient's death. (4) Both age, sex, marital status, and place of residence significantly influenced the attitudes of nurses toward the patient's death. Therefore, it is important to provide psychological support or special education in the case of dealing with the fear of death.

An Evaluation of Death Depression and Death Anxiety in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Objectives: The study aimed to determine the level of death depression and death anxiety in patients with COPD. Method: The sample of this cross-sectional and descriptive study including patients’ views consisted of 104 patients diagnosed with COPD and hospitalized in a hospital’s pulmonary disease clinic in Turkey. Number, percentage, mean, regression, and correlation analysis were used in the analysis of the data. Results: The most disturbing symptom of COPD was found to be dyspnea (71.2%), cough (17.3%), and sputum (11.5%). 44.2% of the patients had mild, 40.4% had moderate death anxiety levels, and 51% were in a depressive mood. According to the regression analysis, the death depression total score is predictable based on marital status, disease duration, presence of respiratory disease in patients, and patients’ selfcare levels (R: 0.556, R2: 0.310, F: 3.401, p: 0.000). The Anxiety about Death Process-Pain and Suffering subscale score is also predictable depending on the marital status, duration of the disease, desire to know the truth in case of deadly disease, and the level of meeting self-care needs (R: 0.563, R2: 0.317, F: 3.520, p: 0.000). Conclusion: Nurses should monitor the following patients more closely in terms of death depression and death anxiety; those with high dyspnea, those with a history of respiratory disease, single or widowed patients, those with a disease of long duration, those who have difficulties meeting self-care needs and those who do not want to know the diagnosis in case of a deadly disease.