Gender and preferences for palliative care: Perceptions of efficacy.

Abstract

34 Background: Palliative care is underutilized by patients with cancer. Understanding differences in preferences is critical for promoting access. This study tested the hypothesis that women would be more favorably disposed toward palliative care than men. Methods: Two samples of individuals with cancer ( N = 633 and N = 413) provided data on demographics and self-reported health and completed the Palliative Care Preferences Scale, a multifaceted assessment that measures emotional, cognitive, and behavioral aspects of preferences. We conducted t-tests to examine gender differences in palliative preferences in each sample, and analysis of covariance to examine the difference while controlling for age, race/ethnicity, education, cancer type, time since diagnosis, and presence of metastases. Results: As hypothesized, t-tests revealed a significant difference of palliative care preferences across gender for both samples ( p < .001 and p = .020) with women preferring palliative care more so than men. Findings were comparable when controlling for age, race/ethnicity, education, cancer type, time since diagnosis, and presence of metastases ( p = .018 and p = .015). Analysis of the cognitive subscale revealed that relative to men, women viewed palliative care as more efficacious ( p < .001 and p < .001). Conclusions: Findings across the two samples demonstrate greater preferences for palliative care among women than men. Future research should examine whether psychoeducational interventions can be tailored based on gender to increase preferences for palliative care.

Factors Influencing Progressive Utilization of Palliative Care Services among Cancer Patients in Kenya: The Case of Nairobi Hospice

“…This is also attributed to both biological and social differences between the two genders [35]. Women were also found to view palliative care as more efficacious relative to men [36].…”