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Prevalence and factors associated with demoralization syndrome in patients with advanced disease: Results from a cross-sectional Portuguese study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 January 2016

Miguel Julião ,
Baltazar Nunes  and
António Barbosa
Miguel Julião*
Affiliation:
Hospital da Universidade Fernando Pessoa, Gondomar, Portugal Center of Bioethics, Faculty of Medicine, and Center for Evidence-Based Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
Baltazar Nunes
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge, National School of Public Health, New University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
António Barbosa
Affiliation:
Center of Bioethics, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal Department of Psychiatry, Hospital de Santa Maria, Lisbon, Portugal
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Miguel Julião, Hospital Escola da Universidade Fernando Pessoa, Avenida Fernando Pessoa, No. 150, 4420-096 Gondomar, Portugal. E-Mail: [email protected].
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Abstract

Background:

Demoralization syndrome (DS) within the context of the psychological experience at the end of life is an important and relevant medical issue and remains the subject of a growing area of research.

Method:

Ours was a cross-sectional study designed to assess the prevalence and associated demographic, physical, psychiatric, and psychosocial factors for demoralization syndrome in Portuguese patients with advanced disease.

Results:

Some 80 terminally ill patients were included in the analyses over a 28-month period of time. The prevalence of DS was found to be 52.5%. No statistical differences were observed among prevalence of DS within categories of all studied variables, with the exception of depression using DSM–IV criteria (prevalence ratio PR = 1.8, CI95% = [1.18–2.74]) and desire for death (PR = 1.8, CI95% = [1.25–2.56]). In the Poisson regression analyses predicting DS, none of the latter factors emerged as significant (DSM–IV criteria: PR = 1.6, CI95% = [0.84–3.08]; and desire for death: PR = 1.5, CI95% = [0.74–2.99]). Thirty percent of participants met both criteria for demoralization syndrome and depression using the DSM–IV.

Significance of Results:

Prevalence of demoralization syndrome was high in this patient sample. Based on our results, we cannot determine if DS and depression are two distinct psychological entities. Identifying factors associated with DS could help provide efficacious interventions capable of diminishing suffering in terminally ill patients.

Keywords

Demoralization syndromeAssociated factorsCross-sectional study
Type
Original Articles
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 14 , Issue 5 , October 2016 , pp. 468 - 473
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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