Psychological Symptoms and End-of-Life Decision-Making Confidence in Surrogate Decision Makers of Dialysis Patients

Authors

  • Mi-Kyung Song, PhD, RN
  • Sandra E. Ward, PhD, RN, FAAN
  • Laura C. Hanson, MD, MPH
  • Feng-Chang Lin, PhD
  • Jill B. Hamilton, PhD, RN
  • Gerald Hladik, MD
  • Jason P. Fine, ScD
  • Jessica C. Bridgman, RD, MPH
  • Summer K. Sun, MS
  • Margaret S. Miles, PhD, RN

Abstract

This cross-sectional descriptive study explored surrogate decision makers’ psychological symptoms and their own assessment of decision-making abilities before actual involvement in end-of-life decisions for their loved ones. One hundred twenty dialysis patients’ surrogates (79 African Americans and 41 Caucasians) completed scales measuring decision-making confidence, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Forty-two (35%) and 14 (11.7%) surrogates showed abnormal scores on the anxiety and depression scales, respectively. Seven (5.8%) surrogates showed abnormal scores on the PTSS scale. While surrogates’ decision-making confidence was high (M = 17.70, SD = 2.88), there was no association between decision-making confidence and the three psychological variables. Surrogates’ confidence was associated only with the quality of their relationships with patients (r = 0.33, p = 0.001).

Published

2012-09-01

How to Cite

Song, PhD, RN, M.-K., Ward, PhD, RN, FAAN, S. E., Hanson, MD, MPH, L. C., Lin, PhD, F.-C., Hamilton, PhD, RN, J. B., Hladik, MD, G., … Miles, PhD, RN, M. S. (2012). Psychological Symptoms and End-of-Life Decision-Making Confidence in Surrogate Decision Makers of Dialysis Patients. The Journal of Nephrology Social Work, 36(1), 24–30. Retrieved from https://jnsw.kidney.org/index.php/jnsw/article/view/104

Issue

Vol. 36 No. 1 (2012)

Section

Articles