Aging Ment Health
Department of Psychology, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, 35487-0348, USA.
Published: January 2011
Objective: Public policy and opinion support autonomous medical decision-making; however, research on perceptions related to future functioning that may influence health-related decisions is limited. Additional research is needed to understand individual perceptions for engaging in future life-sustaining treatment decisions.
Methods: Perceived time left to live and memory self-efficacy were assessed among 77 adults (M = 74.5 ± 7.18 years) indicating preferences for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, mechanical ventilation, and artificial feeding and fluids in hypothetical illness scenarios.
Results: Participants with a more expansive perspective of future time, less perceived change in memory, greater perceived memory capacity, and greater depressive symptomatology and Blacks/African Americans had greater overall desire for treatment.
Conclusion: Differences in perceived time left to live and memory beliefs affect treatment desires in ways that may not be recognized by families and/or physicians. Identifying perceptions associated with end-of-life treatment preferences may improve interventions that facilitate quality care through patient autonomy.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2010.505229 | DOI Listing |
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!
© LitMetric 2025. All rights reserved.