Does Superstition Help? A Study of the Role of Superstitions and Death Beliefs on Death Anxiety Amongst Chinese Undergraduates in Hong Kong

2012 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. H. Wong
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Death Anxiety ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Chinese Context ◽  
Chinese Undergraduates ◽  
Practical Implications

Past research has shown that traditional Chinese death beliefs, which mostly consisted of superstitious thoughts, are related to death anxiety. However, other studies have shown that superstitions may help people cope with uncertainty and, therefore, reduce uncertainty-induced anxiety. The role of superstitions, whether related to heightened death anxiety or reduced death anxiety, is unclear. This study attempted to address the knowledge gap by examining the relationships among superstitions and Chinese death beliefs on death anxiety in the Chinese context. One hundred twenty-four undergraduates in Hong Kong completed measures of superstition (R-PBS), death anxiety (MFODS), and Chinese death beliefs scale. Superstition was found to be predictor of death anxiety, as expected. With superstitions highly prevalent in Chinese societies, the study has practical implications in end-of-life care, bereavement support, and death education in the Chinese context.

scholarly journals Advance care planning preferences in Chinese nursing home residents: results from two cross-sectional studies in Hong Kong and Taiwan

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinyi Xu ◽  
Shu-Wen Tu ◽  
Chia-Chin Lin
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Nursing Home ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Advance Directive ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
Completion Rate ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Term Care

Abstract Background The proportion of hospital deaths has declined in the past few decades, while the proportions of nursing home deaths have increased. This trend of increasing deaths in long-term care facilities underlines the importance of improving end-of-life care provisions in these settings to meet individual preferences and needs. Under these circumstances, a comprehensive understanding of end-of-life care preferences in local nursing home residents can help healthcare professionals and policymakers develop strategies to increase the advance directive completion rate and quality of care. This study aimed to explore and compare advance directive and end-of-life care preferences of nursing home residents in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Methods A structured questionnaire was developed by the research team to investigate advance directive and end-of-life care preferences in older Chinese nursing home residents. Nursing home residents with frail or pre-frail status and over the age of 64 were invited to participate in the study, and information on demographics, functional status, advance directive experiences, and end-of-life care expectations was collected through questionnaire interviews. Results A total of 325 eligible participants from 32 facilities completed the survey, including 238 older residents in Hong Kong and 87 in Taiwan. A significantly lower proportion of the Hong Kong residents had completed an advance directive compared with the Taiwanese (3 vs. 13%, p = 0.001). Among participants who did not have an advance directive, 46% of the Taiwanese participants said they would consider completing one in the future, compared with 20% of the Hong Kong participants (p < 0.001). A total of 79% of the Hong Kong participants and 80% of the Taiwanese participants responded that prolonging life in the given hypothetical dying scenario was “not important” (p = 0.76). Only 14% of participants in Hong Kong and 18% of participants in Taiwan reported prior occurrence of end-of-life care discussions with family members or health professionals (p = 0.37). Conclusions This paper adds evidence in support of improving end-of-life communication and the advance directive completion rate in nursing homes in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Further research is necessary to explore cross-cultural differences in end-of-life preferences and its applications in predicting decision-making and the quality of end-of-life care.

End of life care in the community: the role of ambulance clinicians

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. 394-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annie Pettifer ◽  
Rosanna Bronnert
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Life Care

scholarly journals Key Components for the Delivery of Palliative and End-of-Life Care in Care Homes in Hong Kong: A Modified Delphi Study

2022 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 667
Author(s):  
Helen Yue-Lai Chan ◽  
Cecilia Nim-Chee Chan ◽  
Chui-Wah Man ◽  
Alice Dik-Wah Chiu ◽  
Faith Chun-Fong Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Delphi Study ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Home Setting ◽  
Modified Delphi

Integrating the palliative care approach into care home service to address the complex care needs of older adults with frailty or advanced diseases has been increasingly recognized. However, such a service is underdeveloped in Hong Kong owing to socio-cultural and legal concerns. We adopted a modified Delphi study design to identify the key components for the delivery of palliative and end-of-life care in care home settings for the local context. It was an iterative staged method to assimilate views of experts in aged care, palliative care, and care home management. A multidisciplinary expert panel of 18 members consented to participate in the study. They rated their level of agreement with 61 candidate statements identified through a scoping review in two rounds of anonymous surveys. The steering group revised the statements in light of the survey findings. Eventually, the finalized list included 28 key statements concerning structure and process of care in seven domains, namely policy and infrastructure, education, assessment, symptom management, communication, care for dying patients, and family support. The findings of this study underscored concerns regarding the feasibility of statements devised at different levels of palliative care development. This list would be instrumental for regions where the development of palliative and end-of-life care services in care home setting is at an initial stage.

scholarly journals Continuation of end-of-life care in a special elderly nursing home and the role of doctors

2012 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 336-343
Author(s):  
Akira Kurita ◽  
Naosuke Shinagawa ◽  
Eitarou Kodani ◽  
Shinichirou Iwahara ◽  
Bonpei Takase ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Home ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Life Care

False Expectations? Expectations vs. Probabilities for Dying

2000 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 157-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn M. Smith
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Living Will ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Patient Attitudes ◽  
Affected Patient ◽  
Catastrophic Illness ◽  
Physician Relationship

It is widely recognized that the role of the physician has undergone dramatic changes in the last century—changes which have serious implications for the patient-physician relationship. This is an ethnographic study examining how certain changes in the role and abilities of biomedical physicians have affected patient attitudes and expectations about end-of-life care. In-home interviews were conducted with eighteen persons age fifty-five and older, including a sample of Hemlock Society members. Results indicate a broad spectrum of end-of-life concerns including capacity, autonomy, pain, and burden to loved ones. Most participants reported a reluctance to begin a discussion of death or future deteriorating capacity with their physicians. Instead, when conversations about death were reported, they had been largely limited to the scenarios of catastrophic illness (e.g., hospitalization, ventilator, etc.) and the Living Will. While this discussion does not overlook the utility of the Living Will, it proposes that reliance on this document for preparing patients for end-of-life care is inadequate.

scholarly journals Promotion of End-of-Life Care in a Medical Ward - Hong Kong Experience

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
pp. e126
Author(s):  
Po Shan Ko ◽  
Tat Lam Shum ◽  
Siu Hing Wong ◽  
Ying Kwok ◽  
Kwok Ping Chan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Medical Ward ◽  
Life Care

scholarly journals P142: Gaps in public preparedness to be a substitute decision maker and the acceptability of high school education on resuscitation and end-of-life care: a mixed-methods study

CJEM ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (S1) ◽  
pp. S115-S116
Author(s):  
M. Wong ◽  
M. Medor ◽  
K. Yelle Labre ◽  
M. Jiang ◽  
J. Frank ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Critical Illness ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Decision Maker ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
High School Education ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Substitute Decision Maker

Introduction: When a patient is incapable of making medical decisions for themselves, choices are made according to the patient's previously expressed, wishes, values, and beliefs by a substitute decision maker (SDM). While interventions to engage patients in their own advance care planning exist, little is known about public readiness to act as a SDM on behalf of a loved one. This mixed-methods survey aimed to describe attitudes, enablers and barriers to preparedness to act as a SDM, and support for a population-level curriculum on the role of an SDM in end-of-life and resuscitative care. Methods: From November 2017 to June 2018, a mixed-methods street intercept survey was conducted in Ottawa, Canada. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were used to assess predictors of preparedness to be a SDM and understand support for a high school curriculum. Responses to open-ended questions were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Results: The 430 respondents were mostly female (56.5%) with an average age of 33.9. Although 73.0% of respondents felt prepared to be a SDM, 41.0% of those who reported preparedness never had a meaningful conversation with loved ones about their wishes in critical illness. The only predictors of SDM preparedness were the belief that one would be a future SDM (OR 2.36 95% CI 1.34-4.17), and age 50-64 compared to age 16-17 (OR 7.46 95% CI 1.25-44.51). Thematic enablers of preparedness included an understanding of a patient's wishes, the role of the SDM and strong familial relationships. Barriers included cultural norms, family conflict, and a need for time for high stakes decisions. Most respondents (71.9%) believed that 16 year olds should learn about SDMs. They noted age appropriateness, potential developmental and societal benefit, and improved decision making, while cautioning the need for a nuanced approach respectful of different maturity levels, cultures and individual experiences. Conclusion: This study reveals a concerning gap between perceived preparedness and actions taken in preparation to be an SDM for loved ones suffering critical illness. The results also highlight the potential role for high school education to address this gap. Future studies should further explore the themes identified to inform development of resources and curricula for improved health literacy in resuscitation and end-of-life care.

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