This study aims to extend our knowledge regarding attitudes toward euthanasia. Specifically, the effect of patient’s age and illness type. 123 participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups completed the Assessing Right to Die Attitudes (ARDA) questionnaire after reading a patients age (79 vs. 29 year old) and illness type (cancer vs. depression) description. Findings revealed more positive attitudes toward euthanasia when the patient was physically ill, as opposed to mentally ill. Participants’ attitude towards euthanasia was more positive when the patient was elderly. Illness type as a function of the patient’s age did not significantly influence attitudes towards euthanasia. The results of the current study reinforce the individual influence of illness type and of patient age on attitudes toward euthanasia, and suggest additional avenues for further research regarding their combined influence.
AghababaeiN.FarahaniH.HatamiJ. (2011). Euthanasia attitude: A comparison of two scales. Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, 4(1), 1–6.
2.
AllenJ. J.ChavezS. S.DeSimoneS. S.HowardD. D.JohnsonK. K.LaPierreL. L.SandersJ. J. (2006). Americans' attitudes toward euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide,1936–2002. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 33(2), 5–23.
3.
AlstonR. J.HarleyD. A.MiddletonR. (2006). The role of rehabilitation in achieving social justice for minorities with disabilities. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 24(3), 129–136.
4.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). American Psychiatric Publishing.
5.
AngermeyerM. C.MatschingerH.SchomerusG. (2013). Attitudes towards psychiatric treatment and people with mental illness: Changes over two decades. The British Journal of Psychiatry: The Journal of Mental Science, 203(2), 146–151.
6.
BehaegelJ.VercoutereS.MatthysD. (2015). Euthanasie bij psychiatrische patiënten. Tijdschrift Voor Geneeskunde, 71(17), 1086–1089.
7.
BerghmansR.WiddershovenG.Widdershoven-HeerdingI. (2013). Physician-assisted suicide in psychiatry and loss of hope. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 36(5-6), 436–443.
8.
BevacquaF.KurpiusS. (2013). Counseling students' personal values and attitudes toward euthanasia. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 35(2), 172–188.
BoudreauJ. D.SomervilleM. A. (2014). Euthanasia and assisted suicide: A physician’s and ethicist’s perspectives. Medicolegal and Bioethics, 4, 1.
11.
BroeckaertB.GielenJ.van IerselT.Van den BrandenS. (2010). Euthanasia and palliative care in Belgium: The attitudes of Flemish palliative care nurses and physicians toward euthanasia. AJOB Primary Research, 1(3), 31–44.
12.
CaddellD. P.NewtonR. R. (1995). Euthanasia: American attitudes toward the physician's role. Social Science & Medicine, 40(12), 1671–1681.
13.
CohenJ.Van LandeghemP.CarpentierN.DeliensL. (2014). Public acceptance of euthanasia in Europe: A survey study in 47 countries. International Journal of Public Health, 59(1), 143–156.
14.
CorriganP. W.RiverL. P.LundinR. K.WasowskiK. U.CampionJ.MathisenJ.. . . KubiakM. A. (2000). Stigmatizing attributions about mental illness. Journal of Community Psychology, 28, 91–102.
15.
DavidsonD. (2017). Furthering the discussion on a physician-assisted dying right for the mentally ill: Commentary on Karesa and McBride. Dylan Davidson and Jocelyn A. Lymburner Kwantlen Polytechnic University.
16.
DemedtsD.RoelandsM.LibbrechtJ.BilsenJ. (2018). The attitudes, role & knowledge of mental health nurses towards euthanasia because of unbearable mental suffering in Belgium: A pilot study. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 25(7), 400–410.
17.
DiederichA.WinkelhageJ.WirsikN. (2011). Age as a criterion for setting priorities in health care? A survey of the German public view. PLoS One, 6(8), e23930.
18.
EisenbergD.DownsM. F.GolbersteinE.ZivinK. (2009). Stigma and help seeking for mental health among college students. Medical Care Research and Review, 66, 522–554.
19.
EmanuelE. J.Onwuteaka-PhilipsenB. D.UrwinJ. W.CohenJ. (2016). Attitudes and practices of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in the United States, Canada, and Europe. JAMA, 316(1), 79–90.
20.
FreyL. M.HansJ. D. (2016). Attitudes toward assisted suicide: Does family context matter?Archives of Suicide Research: Official Journal of the International Academy for Suicide Research, 20(2), 250–264.
21.
FrileuxS.LelièvreC.SastreM. M.MulletE.SorumP. C. (2003). When is physician assisted suicide or euthanasia acceptable?Journal of Medical Ethics, 29(6), 330–336.
22.
GopalA. A. (2015). Physician-assisted suicide: Considering the evidence, existential distress, and an emerging role for psychiatry. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online, 43(2), 183–190.
23.
HewittJ. (2013). Why are people with mental illness excluded from the rational suicide debate?International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 36(5-6), 358–365.
ImhoffR. (2016). Zeroing in on the effect of the schizophrenia label on stigmatizing attitudes: A large-scale study. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 42(2), 456–463.
26.
JotkowitzA. B.GlickS. (2009). The Israeli terminally ill patient law of 2005. Journal of Palliative Care, 25(4), 284–288.
27.
KaresaS.McBrideD. (2016). A sign of the changing times? Perceptions of Canadian psychologists on assisted death. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 57(3), 188–192.
28.
KimS. Y.De VriesR. G.PeteetJ. R. (2016). Euthanasia and assisted suicide of patients with psychiatric disorders in The Netherlands 2011 to 2014. JAMA Psychiatry, 73(4), 362–368.
29.
KinzbrunnerB. M. (2004). Jewish medical ethics and end-of-life care. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 7(4), 558–573.
30.
KouwenhovenP. S. C.RaijmakersN. J. H.van DeldenJ. J. M.RietjensJ. A. C.SchermerM. H. N.van ThielG. J. M. W.TrappenburgM. J.van de VathorstS.van der VegtB. J.VezzoniC.WeyersH.van TolD. G.van der HeideA. (2013). Opinions of health care professionals and the public after eight years of euthanasia legislation in The Netherlands: A mixed methods approach. Palliative Medicine, 27(3), 273–280.
31.
KrossE.BermanM. G.MischelW.SmithE. E.WagerT. D. (2011). Social rejection shares somatosensory representations with physical pain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(15), 6270–6275.
32.
LeeC. H.DuckI. M.SibleyC. G. (2017). Demographic and psychological correlates of New Zealanders support for euthanasia. NZ Med J, 130(1448), 9–17.
33.
LeichtentrittR. D. (2011). Beyond favourable attitudes to end-of-life rights: The experiences of Israeli health care social workers. British Journal of Social Work, 41(8), 1459–1476.
34.
LevinK.BradleyG. L.DuffyA. (2020). Attitudes toward euthanasia for patients who suffer from physical or mental illness. OMEGA–Journal of Death and Dying, 80(4), 592–614.
35.
LiégeoisA. (2013). Euthanasia and mental suffering: An ethical advice for catholic mental health services. Christian Bioethics, 19(1), 72–81.
36.
LinkB. G.PhelanJ. C.BresnahanM.StueveA.PescosolidoB. A. (1999). Public conceptions of mental illness: Labels, causes, dangerousness, and social distance. American Journal of Public Health, 89(9), 1328–1333.
37.
MartinJ. K.PescosolidoB. A.TuchS. A. (2000). Of fear and loathing: The role of ‘disturbing behavior,’ labels, and causal attributions in shaping public attitudes toward people with mental illness. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 41, 208–223.
38.
MaterstvedtL. J.ClarkD.EllershawJ.FørdeR.GravgaardA.-M B.Müller-BuschH. C.Porta I SalesJ.RapinC.-H., & EAPC Ethics Task Force. (2003). Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide: A view from an EAPC Ethics Task Force. Palliative Medicine, 17(2), 97–101.
39.
MooreC. L.Feist-PriceS. (1999). Societal attitudes and the civil rights of persons with disabilities. Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling, 30(2), 19.
40.
MusgraveC. F.MargalithI.GoldsmidtL. (2001). Israeli oncology and nononcology nurses' attitudes toward physician-assisted dying: A comparison study. Oncology Nursing Forum, 28(1), 50–57.
41.
NortjeN. (2013). Cultural perspective on euthanasia. Science and Education, 1(5), 77–80.
42.
Onwuteaka-PhilisenB. D.MullerM. T.van der WalG. (1997). Euthanasia and old age. Age & Ageing, 26(6), 487.
43.
OwenG. S.SzmuklerG.RichardsonG.DavidA. S.RaymontV.FreyenhagenF.. . . HotopfM. (2013). Decision-making capacity for treatment in psychiatric and medical in-patients: Cross-sectional, comparative study. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 203(6), 461–467.
44.
RadbruchL.LegetC.BahrP.Müller-BuschC.EllershawJ.De ConnoF. . . & Board Members of the EAPC. (2016). Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide: A white paper from the European association for palliative care. Palliative Medicine, 30(2), 104–116.
45.
RaeN.JohnsonM. H.MalpasP. J. (2015). New Zealanders’ attitudes toward physician-assisted dying. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 18(3), 259–265.
46.
ReichenbergB. R. (1987). Euthanasia and the active-passive distinction. Bioetics, 1, 51–73.
47.
RichardsP. S.BerginA. E. (Eds.). (2000). Handbook of psychotherapy and religious diversity. American Psychological Association.
48.
Robinson-WoodT. L. (2009). The convergence of race, ethnicity, and gender: Multiple identities in counseling (3rd ed.). Pearson.
49.
RoelandsM.Van den BlockL.GeurtsS.DeliensL.CohenJ. (2015). Attitudes of Belgian students of medicine, philosophy, and law toward euthanasia and the conditions for its acceptance. Death Studies, 39(1-5), 139–150.
50.
RogersJ. R. (1996). Assessing right to die attitudes: A conceptually guided measurement model. The Journal of Social Issues, 52(2), 63–84.
51.
SansonA.DickensE.MelitaB.NixonM.RoweJ.TudorA.TyrrellM. (1998). Psychological perspectives on euthanasia and the terminally ill: An Australian psychological society discussion paper. Australian Psychologist, 33(1), 1–11. [10.1080/00050069808257255]
52.
SchicktanzS.RazA.ShalevC. (2010). The cultural context of end-of-life ethics: A comparison of Germany and Israel. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics: The International Journal of Healthcare Ethics Committees, 19(3), 381–394.
53.
SchroepferT. A.NohH.KavanaughM. (2009). The myriad strategies for seeking control in the dying process. The Gerontologist, 49(6), 755–766.
54.
SchuklenkU.van de VathorstS. (2015). Physician-assisted death does not violate professional integrity. Journal of Medical Ethics, 41(11), 887–888.
55.
SchwedaM.SchicktanzS.RazA.SilversA. (2017). Beyond cultural stereotyping: Views on end-of-life decision making among religious and secular persons in the USA, Germany, and Israel. BMC Medical Ethics, 18(1), 13.
56.
ShafferC. S.CookA. N.ConnollyD. A. (2016). A conceptual framework for thinking about physician-assisted death for persons with a mental disorder. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 22(2), 141.
57.
SmartJ. (2009). Disability, society, and the individual(2nd ed.).Pro-ED.
58.
SmetsT.BilsenJ.CohenJ.RurupM. L.DeliensL. (2010). Legal euthanasia in Belgium: Characteristics of all reported euthanasia cases. Medical Care, 48(2), 187–192.
59.
SoenD. (2005). The right for a ‘‘dignified death’’: Religiosity and attitudes towards euthanasia among social science students in Israel. Social Issues in Israel, 1, 230–258.
SteckN.EggerM.MaessenM.ReischT.ZwahlenM. (2013). Euthanasia and assisted suicide in selected European countries and US states: Systematic literature review. Medical Care, 938–944.
62.
StephensJ. D. W.NealD. S.OvermanA. A. (2014). Closing the empathy gap in college students’ judgments of end-of-life tradeoffs. International Journal of Psychology : Journal International de Psychologie, 49(4), 313–317.
63.
ThienpontL.VerhofstadtM.Van LoonT.DistelmansW.AudenaertK.De DeynP. P. (2015). Euthanasia requests, procedures and outcomes for 100 Belgian patients suffering from psychiatric disorders: A retrospective, descriptive study. BMJ Open, 5(7), e007454.
64.
TwengeJ. M.CarterN. T.CampbellW. K. (2015). Time period, generational, and age differences in tolerance for controversial beliefs and lifestyles in the United States, 1972–2012. Social Forces, 94(1), 379–399.
65.
Van HolsteynJ.TrappenburgM. (1998). Citizens' opinions on new forms of euthanasia. A report from The Netherlands. Patient Education and Counseling, 35(1), 63–73.
66.
VelanB.ZivA.KaplanG.RubinC.ConnellyY.KarniT.TalO. (2019). Truth-telling and doctor-assisted death as perceived by Israeli physicians. BMC Medical Ethics, 20(1), 13.
67.
WengerN. S.CarmelS. (2004). Physicians' religiosity and end-of-life care attitudes and behaviors. Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine, 71(5), 335–343.
68.
WilsonK. G.ScottJ. F.GrahamI. D.KozakJ. F.ChaterS.ViolaR. A.. . . CurranD. (2000). Attitudes of terminally ill patients toward euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Archives of Internal Medicine, 160(16), 2454–2460.
69.
YunY. H.HanK. H.ParkS.ParkB. W.ChoC.-H.KimS.LeeD. H.LeeS. N.LeeE. S.KangJ. H.KimS.-Y.LeeJ. L.HeoD. S.LeeC. G.LimY. K.KimS. Y.ChoiJ. S.JeongH. S.ChunM. (2011). Attitudes of cancer patients, family caregivers, oncologists and members of the general public toward critical interventions at the end of life of terminally ill patients. Canadian Medical Association Journal = Journal de L'association Medicale Canadienne, 183(10), E673–E679.
