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Dignity Therapy and Life Review for Palliative Care Patients: A Qualitative Study
Dean Vuksanovic1, Heather Green2, Shirley Morrissey2
1Menzies Health Institute Queensland and School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Southport, Queensland, Australia; Gold Coast University Hospital, Southport, Queensland, Australia.
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
|July 19, 2017
Summary
Creating legacy documents through Dignity Therapy (DT) significantly shapes patient discussions in palliative care, offering distinct insights compared to Life Review. This impacts end-of-life psychotherapeutic outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Psychotherapy
- Palliative Care
- End-of-Life Studies
Background:
- Dignity Therapy (DT) is a psychotherapeutic intervention designed to enhance purpose, meaning, and dignity in terminally ill patients.
- Previous research documented the efficacy of DT and waitlist DT (WDT).
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore and compare the content of standard DT, WDT, and Life Review (LR).
- To understand how omitting legacy document creation in LR affects session content compared to DT.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative analysis of legacy documents (DT and WDT) and LR session transcripts.
- Utilized the Framework approach with deductive and inductive reasoning.
- Sample size of 56 participants previously documented.
Main Results:
- Participants shared diverse beliefs, values, memories, and relationships, often finding meaning and acceptance.
- Legacy documents highlighted themes of legacy, fighting spirit, and hope.
- Life Review sessions more frequently addressed relationship regrets, unfinished business, and aftermath concerns.
Conclusions:
- Creating legacy documents yields different session content compared to LR, even with controlled variables.
- This study offers insights into patient priorities in palliative care.
- Optimizing psychotherapeutic outcomes near end-of-life requires considering these differences.
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