Assessing Public's Attitudes Towards Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide of Persons With Dementia Based on Their Advance Request: An Experimental Survey of US Public

Mangino, Dominic; Bernhard, Talia; Wakim, Paul; Kim, Scott Y. H.

doi:10.1016/j.jagp.2020.07.013

Cited by 15 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 26 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Previous studies have identified age, education, income, religion, political orientation, self-rated health, and the availability of voluntary workers as potential factors associated with attitudes toward EAS [7,21,[33][34][35]. Our multivariate logistic regression analyses identified poor health and comorbidity as factors associated with attitudes toward EAS.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 57%

Attitudes toward the Legalization of Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide in South Korea: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Yun

Sim

Choi

et al. 2022

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study aimed to investigate the general South Korean public attitudes toward the legalization of euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide (EAS) and examine the reasons underpinning these attitudes. From March–June 2021, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of a representative national sample of 1000 South Koreans aged 19 years or older. Three in four participants (76.4%) expressed positive attitudes toward the legalization of EAS. Participants who agreed with this legalization reported “meaninglessness of the rest of life” and “right to a good death” as their main reasons. Participants who disagreed with the legalization of EAS reported “respect for life”, “violation of the right to self-determination”, “risk of abuse or overuse”, and “violation of human rights” as theirs. In the multivariate logistic regression analyses, participants with poor physical status (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.41, 95%; confidence interval [CI]: 1.02–1.93) or comorbidity (aOR: 1.84, 95%; CI: 1.19–2.83) showed positive attitudes toward the legalization of EAS. In summary, most of the general South Korean population regards the legalization of EAS positively, especially participants with poor physical status or comorbidity.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 57%

Attitudes toward the Legalization of Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide in South Korea: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Yun

Sim

Choi

et al. 2022

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is also possible that individuals may express approval of PAS as an abstract notion, but be more disapproving when presented with concrete cases. This was observed in a study of the general public in the United States, where over 54% of respondents expressed approval of PAS for dementia initially, but only 21–40% continued to express approval when provided with specific scenarios ( Mangino et al, 2021 ). The results of these surveys suggests that significant conflicts of interest could arise in this setting; though the Schuurmans et al (2021) study raises the possibility of physicians feeling “pressured” by family members ( Wardle, 1993 ), it is equally conceivable that caregivers could feel “pressured” for economic, social or other systemic reasons ( Kemmelmeier et al, 2002 ).…”

Section: Pitfalls Inherent In the Practice Of Pas In The Specific Case Of Dementiamentioning

confidence: 87%

Physician-Assisted Suicide in Dementia: Paradoxes, Pitfalls and the Need for Prudence

Rajkumar

2021

Front. Sociol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There has been an increasing drive towards the legalization of physician-assisted suicide (PAS) in patients with dementia, particularly in patients with advanced disease and severe cognitive impairment. Advocacy for this position is often based on utilitarian philosophical principles, on appeals to the quality of life of the patient and their caregiver(s), or on economic constraints faced by caregivers as well as healthcare systems. In this paper, two lines of evidence against this position are presented. First, data on attitudes towards euthanasia for twenty-eight countries, obtained from the World Values Survey, is analyzed. An examination of this data shows that, paradoxically, positive attitudes towards this procedure are found in more economically advanced countries, and are strongly associated with specific cultural factors. Second, the literature on existing attitudes towards PAS in cases of dementia, along with ethical arguments for and against the practice, is reviewed and specific hazards for patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals are identified. On the basis of these findings, the author suggests that the practice of PAS in dementia is not one that can be widely or safely endorsed, on both cultural and ethical grounds. Instead, the medical field should work in collaboration with governmental, social welfare and patient advocacy services to ensure optimal physical, emotional and financial support to this group of patients and their caregivers.

show abstract

“…It is however true that some who consider MAiD acceptable for people in a terminal somatic condition face a series of challenges in people with mental illness as follows: the ethical distinction between helping a dying person die peacefully versus providing death to a non-dying person; the unpredictability of prognosis of non-terminal conditions such as most mental illnesses; the difficulty that MAiD-NT may put vulnerable or marginalized people at risk of seeking death as a relief from poverty, loneliness, or other psychosocial stressors [10,[20][21][22][23][24]. For example, Trachsel and Jox [25 ••] examined the criteria for MAiD-NT in Switzerland and considered the criteria put forward by the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences, namely, intolerable suffering due to severe illness or functional limitations (and acknowledged as such by a physician), are not sufficient.…”

Section: The Moral Debate About Maid-nt In Psychiatry and Unsolved Pr...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, in the Netherlands, half of the respondents (53%) of the general population supported the eligibility of psychiatric patients for MAiD-NT, with only 15% stating their opposition to this practice [27]. In contrast, among the US general population, one-third supported legalizing MAiD-NT for people with physical disability (e.g., cerebral palsy) and dementia or mental illness (e.g., depression) [28]. This percentage significantly decreased, however, when a series of scenarios were presented showing the possible request by patients in non-terminal state because of loss of support from health care system or poverty [29].…”

Section: Opinions and Attitudes Of The General Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Debating Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Death in People with Psychiatric Disorders

Grassi

Folesani

Marella

et al. 2022

Curr Psychiatry Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose of Review Over the last 30 years, medical assistance in dying (MAiD) including euthanasia (EU) and physician-assisted death (or suicide, PAS) has become the center of a large debate, particularly when these practices have involved people with psychiatric illness, including resistant depression, schizophrenia, personality, or other severe psychiatric disorders. We performed a review utilizing several databases, and by including the most relevant studies in full journal articles investigating the problem of MAiD in patients with psychiatric disorders but not in physical terminal conditions (non-terminal, MAiD-NT). Recent Findings Literature has shown that a small percentage of people with psychiatric disorders died by MAiD-NT in comparison with patients with somatic diseases in terminal clinical conditions (e.g., cancer, AIDS). However, the problem in the field is complex and not solved yet as confirmed by the fact that only a few countries (e.g., the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg) have legalized MAiD-NT for patients with psychiatric disorders, while most have maintained the practices accessible only to people with somatic disease in a terminal phase. Also, how to make objective the criterion of irremediability of a mental disorder; how to balance suicide prevention with assisted suicide; how to avoid the risk of progressively including in requests for MAiD-NT vulnerable segments of the population, such as minors, elderly, or people with dementia, in a productive-oriented society, are some of the critical points to be discussed. Summary The application of MAiD-NT in people with psychiatric disorders should be further explored to prevent end-of-life rights from contradicting the principles of recovery-oriented care.

show abstract

Assessing Public's Attitudes Towards Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide of Persons With Dementia Based on Their Advance Request: An Experimental Survey of US Public

Cited by 15 publications

References 26 publications

Attitudes toward the Legalization of Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide in South Korea: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Attitudes toward the Legalization of Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide in South Korea: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Physician-Assisted Suicide in Dementia: Paradoxes, Pitfalls and the Need for Prudence

Debating Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Death in People with Psychiatric Disorders

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About