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Perceptions of two therapeutic approaches for palliative care patients experiencing death anxiety

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 August 2013

Joleen Carol Sussman  and
William Ming Liu
Joleen Carol Sussman*
Affiliation:
Clement J. Zablocki Milwaukee Veteran's Affairs, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
William Ming Liu
Affiliation:
University of Iowa, Iowa city, Iowa
*
Address correspondence reprint requests to: Joleen Sussman, Veteran Affairs, 5000 W. National Ave, Milwaukee WI 53295. E-mail: Joleen.susman@gmail.com
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Abstract

Objective:

Evidenced-based psychotherapies are not well researched for palliative care patients experiencing unrelenting anxiety about dying, even less research is focused on young adult palliative care patients with death anxiety. The aim of this study is to provide preliminary data regarding potential clients' perceptions of using evidenced based treatments with dying populations who are experiencing death anxiety.

Methods:

104 college students were used as potential clients and randomly assigned to watch either a short video of a cognitive therapy (CT) session or of an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) session focused on treating a young adult diagnosed with an acute lymphoid leukemia expressing death anxiety. After watching the video, potential clients rated the session impact of the therapy approach using the Session Evaluation Questionnaire.

Results:

No differences in ratings of session impact were found between potential clients who viewed the CT session and the ACT session. In regards to potential clients' views of session impact variables, their view of session smoothness was positively related to their post-session positivity, but inversely related to their view of session depth. Additionally, a positive correlation was found between potential clients' views of the therapist and session depth.

Significance of results:

This preliminary study suggests that palliative care patients expressing death anxiety may benefit from either ACT or CT for death anxiety, however, future research is needed to explore the usefulness of each approach. Findings of this study support the theory that ACT and CT are viewed to have a similar session impact in the palliative care population.

Keywords

Palliative careAcceptance and commitment therapyCognitive therapyDeath anxiety
Type
Original Articles
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 12 , Issue 4 , August 2014 , pp. 251 - 260
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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