Evaluating Death Anxiety and Death Depression Levels among Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

This study aimed to assess death anxiety and death depression levels among patients with acute myocardial infarction. This was a descriptive correlational study, which was conducted on patients who were treated on an outpatient clinic or cardiology clinics a training and research hospital in Istanbul, Turkey between January and August 2020. The sample of study included 300 patients, who met the inclusion criteria and agreed to participate in the study. The Sociodemographic Form, Death Anxiety Scale and Death Depression Scale served as data collection tools. The patients obtained a mean score of 12.260 ± 3.315 from Death Depression Scale and a mean score of 12.506 ± 2.915 from Death Anxiety Scale. The patients had a death-related depression mood and a severe death anxiety level. The correlation between the patients’ Death Depression Scale and Death Anxiety Scale mean scores was statistically significant and moderate positive (r = .590; p = 0.000). As patients’ death anxiety increased, their death-related depression levels also increased was determined. The death anxiety levels of the patients were mostly severe, to the point of panic. Their depression scores were also above average.

Factors Predicting Death Depression of Emergency Medical Technicians in Iran

Background: Psychological problems such as death depression can have adverse effects on Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) including reduced quality of medical services, job dissatisfaction, feelings of incompetence, depression, and reduced job values. Objective: This study aims to determine the factors predicting death depression of EMTs in Iran. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in 2019, participants were 125 eligible EMTs in hospitals affiliated to Qazvin University of Medical Sciences in Qazvin, Iran. Templer’s Death Depression Scale (DDS) and a demographic form were used to collect data. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings: The mean±SD DDS score was reported 4.73±2.93. Most of subjects (n=79, 63.2%) had low death depression. According to the results of linear regression analysis, “number of resuscitation attempts in the last 3 months”, “organizational position” and “history of depression” were the predictors of death depression (P<0.05). In total, the regression model predicts 9% of the variance in death depression. Conclusion: Death depression of EMTs in Iran is low. Due to the importance of mental health in medical staff in providing quality clinical services, it is recommended that further studies should be conducted in this area using a larger sample size

Death-related distress in adult primary brain tumor patients

Background A diagnosis of cancer may increase mortality salience and provoke death-related distress. Primary brain tumor (PBT) patients may be at particular risk for such distress given the certainty of tumor progression, lack of curative treatments, and poor survival rates. This study is the first to examine the prevalence of death-related distress and its correlates in PBT patients. Methods Adult PBT patients (N = 105) enrolled in this cross-sectional study and completed the Death Distress Scale (subscales: Death Depression, Death Anxiety, Death Obsession), Generalized Anxiety Disorder–7, and Patient Health Questionnaire–9. Prevalence and predictors of death-related distress, and the relationships of demographic variables to clusters of distress, were explored. Results The majority of PBT patients endorsed clinically significant death-related distress in at least one domain. Death anxiety was endorsed by 81%, death depression by 12.5%, and death obsession by 10.5%. Generalized anxiety was the only factor associated with global death-related distress. Cluster analysis yielded 4 profiles: global distress, emotional distress, resilience, and existential distress. Participants in the resilience cluster were significantly further out from diagnosis than those in the existential distress cluster. There were no differences in cluster membership based on age, sex, or tumor grade. Conclusions PBT patients appear to have a high prevalence of death-related distress, particularly death anxiety. Further, 4 distinct profiles of distress were identified, supporting the need for tailored approaches to addressing death-related distress. A shift in clusters of distress based on time since diagnosis also suggest the need for future longitudinal assessment.