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Happiness at the end of life: A qualitative study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2021

Tan Seng Beng Open the ORCID record for Tan Seng Beng [Opens in a new window] ,
Wong Ka Ghee ,
Ng Yun Hui ,
Ooi Chieh Yin ,
Khoo Wei Shen Kelvin ,
See Toh Yiling ,
Tan Ai Huey ,
David Paul Capelle ,
Sheriza Izwa Zainuddin  and
Loh Ee Chin
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Tan Seng Beng*
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Wong Ka Ghee
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Ng Yun Hui
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Ooi Chieh Yin
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Khoo Wei Shen Kelvin
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
See Toh Yiling
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tan Ai Huey
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
David Paul Capelle
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Sheriza Izwa Zainuddin
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Loh Ee Chin
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Lam Chee Loong
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
*
Author for correspondence: Tan Seng Beng, Department of Medicine, University of Malaya, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Objective

Dying is mostly seen as a dreadful event, never a happy experience. Yet, as palliative care physicians, we have seen so many patients who remained happy despite facing death. Hence, we conducted this qualitative study to explore happiness in palliative care patients at the University of Malaya Medical Centre.

Method

Twenty terminally ill patients were interviewed with semi-structured questions. The results were thematically analyzed.

Results

Eight themes were generated: the meaning of happiness, connections, mindset, pleasure, health, faith, wealth, and work. Our results showed that happiness is possible at the end of life. Happiness can coexist with pain and suffering. Social connections were the most important element of happiness at the end of life. Wealth and work were given the least emphasis. From the descriptions of our patients, we recognized a tendency for the degree of importance to shift from the hedonic happiness to eudaimonic happiness as patients experienced a terminal illness.

Significance of results

To increase the happiness of palliative care patients, it is crucial to assess the meaning of happiness for each patient and the degree of importance for each happiness domain to allow targeted interventions.

Keywords

HappinessPalliative carePositive psychologyPsychosocial careWell-being
Type
Original Article
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 20 , Issue 1 , February 2022 , pp. 69 - 75
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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