What Gives Meaning in Life to Patients With Advanced Cancer? A Comparison Between Spanish, German, and Swiss Patients

Tomás–Sábado, Joaquín; Villavicencio-Chávez, Christian; Monforte-Royo, Cristina; Guerrero-Torrelles, Mariona; Fegg, Martin; Balaguer, Albert

doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2015.06.015

Cited by 33 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…The high levels reported in the SMILE total scores in both populations (> 80) are comparable with those found in other studies including different kind of populations: cancer patients (25,26), palliative care patients (27,28), and general populations (22,29). In all these studies, scores ranged between 70 and 80.…”

Section: Level Of Satisfaction In Mil: the Meaning-making Hypothesissupporting

confidence: 87%

“…Relationships and spirituality also appear in several studies exploring the sources of MIL by using methodologies other than the SMILE (37-39). The social relationship dimension was also found to be prominent in advanced cancer patients of different European countries (Spain, Switzerland and Germany) (25), as well as in India (30). In the general population, social integration concerns not only QOL but also survival (40).…”

Section: Meaning Relevant Areas: Differences Between Groups As Marks mentioning

confidence: 95%

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Meaning in life and quality of life: comparison between palliative care patients and a representative sample of the Swiss population

Bernard¹,

Berchtold

Strasser

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Background and objectives Existential areas, and in particular the concept of meaning in life, represent a key topic in palliative care. The aims of this study are to explore (i) the differences in perceived meaning in life (MIL) and in the meaning-relevant life areas between a representative sample of the Swiss population and palliative care patients, and (ii) to what extent MIL can be considered as a significant predictor of quality of life (QOL) in the two populations. Methods A cross sectional study was conducted separately for the patients (face-to-face interviews) and the representative sample of the Swiss population (telephone survey). MIL was measured with the Schedule for Meaning in Life Evaluation (SMILE) and QOL with a with a single item visual analogue scale (0-10). Socio-demographic variables were controlled for in the analyses. Results 206 palliative care patients and 1015 participants from the Swiss population completed the protocol. Results indicated high MIL scores in both population even if the difference was significant (patients 81.9 vs general population 87, p<.001). Compared to the Swiss population, patients were more likely to cite “family” (OR=1.78), “social relations” (OR=1.9), “spirituality and religion” (OR=3.93), “social commitment” (OR=1.94), and “growth” (OR=2.07), and less likely to cite “finances” (OR=0.15) and “health” (OR=0.21) as MIL-relevant areas. The SMILE scores and MIL areas explained 21.8% of the QOL variance for the palliative care patients and 15.1% for the representative sample. Conclusions Our data emphasize the importance of MIL as a contributor to QOL in both clinical and non-clinical settings. From a clinical perspective, it highlights the importance of the life areas contributing to MIL, in particular the social interactions, since they play a significant role for the patients’ QOL.

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Section: Level Of Satisfaction In Mil: the Meaning-making Hypothesissupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Meaning Relevant Areas: Differences Between Groups As Marks mentioning

confidence: 95%

Meaning in life and quality of life: comparison between palliative care patients and a representative sample of the Swiss population

Bernard¹,

Berchtold

Strasser

et al. 2019

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Finally, our findings indicate that family and friends are the most cited resource of gratitude for palliative patients. Interpersonal and particularly familial relationships are known to be crucial for palliative care patients, contributing to both their meaning in life (47)(48)(49) and their quality of life (50,51). As an "other-oriented" emotion, gratitude shows a positive impact on relationship-related dimension such as feelings of social affiliation (52), relational commitment (53), satisfaction with relationships (54,55), and partner reciprocal maintenance behaviors (52,53,56).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gratitude at the End of Life: A Promising Lead for Palliative Care

Althaus

Borasio

Bernard

2018

Journal of Palliative Medicine

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“…Logotherapeutic approaches led to the same results (Robatmili et al 2015). In European patients with advanced cancer, interpersonal relationships were reported as the area that provides more meaning in life to these patients (Tomás-Sábado et al 2015). Among patients with advanced diseases, having a sense of meaning in life is a buffer against depression and the wish to hasten death (Guerrero-Torrelles et al 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Depression and Spiritual Distress in Adult Palliative Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study

2017

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Palliative care patients have been associated with a high probability of having depression and spiritual distress. However, there is a gap in research about the clinical indicators that can promote an effective differential diagnosis of depression and spiritual distress. This study aimed to identify the prevalence and the clinical indicators of depression and spiritual distress in palliative patients in primary care. An observational and cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016 in a Portuguese primary care unit. From a General Practitioners patients' file of 1457 adult patients, a sample of 30 palliative patients was recruited throughout two steps: (1) selection of patients with chronic disease criteria; (2) selection of patients with Prognostic Indicator Guidance criteria. Exclusion criteria included cognitive impairment and psychotic disorders. Participants completed the self-assessment Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being Scale (FACIT-Sp12) scales, which were sealed in opaque envelopes. Clinical data collection used semi-structured interviews for the diagnosis of depression and spiritual distress. The prevalence of depression was 23% (n = 7), while the prevalence of spiritual distress was 23% (n = 7). Four patients (13%) fulfilled both the depression and the spiritual distress criteria. Depression and spiritual distress seem to be both linked to the spiritual dimensions of the human being, but seem to differ in the dimensions of suffering and pharmacologic treatment.

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What Gives Meaning in Life to Patients With Advanced Cancer? A Comparison Between Spanish, German, and Swiss Patients

Cited by 33 publications

References 26 publications

Meaning in life and quality of life: comparison between palliative care patients and a representative sample of the Swiss population

Meaning in life and quality of life: comparison between palliative care patients and a representative sample of the Swiss population

Gratitude at the End of Life: A Promising Lead for Palliative Care

Depression and Spiritual Distress in Adult Palliative Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study

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