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Does voluntary assisted dying cause public stigma for the bereaved? A vignette-based experiment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 January 2021

Sarah Philippkowski Open the ORCID record for Sarah Philippkowski [Opens in a new window] ,
Moira O'Connor ,
Maarten C. Eisma ,
Lindy Willmott ,
Andrew R. Johnson  and
Lauren J. Breen Open the ORCID record for Lauren J. Breen [Opens in a new window]
Sarah Philippkowski
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Curtin University, Perth, WA6102, Australia
Moira O'Connor*
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Curtin University, Perth, WA6102, Australia WA Cancer Prevention Research Institute (WACPRU), School of Psychology, Perth, WA6102, Australia
Maarten C. Eisma
Affiliation:
Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, 9701, The Netherlands
Lindy Willmott
Affiliation:
Faculty of Law, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD4000, Australia
Andrew R. Johnson
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Curtin University, Perth, WA6102, Australia
Lauren J. Breen
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Curtin University, Perth, WA6102, Australia
*
Author for correspondence: Moira O'Connor, School of Psychology, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987 Perth, Western Australia6102, Australia. E-mail: m.oconnor@curtin.edu.au
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Abstract

Objective

Studies in countries where assisted dying is legal show that bereaved people express concern over the potential for social disapproval and social stigma because of the manner of death. There are indications that voluntary assisted dying is judged as less acceptable if the deceased is younger. A vignette-based experiment was used to determine whether public stigma (i.e., negative emotional reactions and desired social distance) and expected grief symptoms are higher for conjugally bereaved people through voluntary assisted dying (vs. long-term illness), when the deceased is a young adult (vs. older adult).

Method

A 2 × 2 randomized factorial design was conducted with 164 Australian adults (130 women, 34 men, Mage = 37.69 years). Each participant was randomized online to read one of four vignettes and completed measures of anger, fear, prosocial emotions, desire for social distance, and expectations of grief symptomatology.

Results

A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted. Death at a young age (28 years) was significantly associated with stronger negative emotional reactions of fear ($\eta _p^2 = 0.04$, P = 0.048) and anger ($\eta _p^2 = 0.06$, P = 0.010). There were no differences in outcomes associated with the mode of death, nor was there an interaction between mode of death and age group.

Significance of results

Concerns that voluntary assisted dying elicits public stigma appear unfounded. The fact that participants reported significantly higher anger and fear in response to bereaved people experiencing loss at a younger (vs. older) age, irrespective of cause of death, indicates that young people who lose their spouse might benefit from additional support.

Keywords

EuthanasiaGriefPhysician-assisted suicideStigmaVoluntary assisted dying
Type
Original Article
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 19 , Issue 5 , October 2021 , pp. 558 - 562
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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