Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39086470›Full record

ArticlePalliative care and social practice2024

Meaning in life of terminally ill parents with minor children compared to palliative care patients - a quantitative analysis using SMiLE.

Henning Cuhls, Michaela Hesse, Gregory Heuser, Lukas Radbruch, Gülay Ateş

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Article in Palliative care and social practice, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

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5 authors.

Henning CuhlsDepartment of Palliative Medicine, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Michaela HesseInstitute for Digitalization and General Medicine, Center for Rare Diseases Aachen (ZSEA), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.
Gregory HeuserDepartment of Palliative Medicine, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Lukas RadbruchDepartment of Palliative Medicine, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Gülay AteşInstitute for Digitalization and General Medicine, Center for Rare Diseases Aachen (ZSEA), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstr. 30, Aachen 52074, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9791-3920

Funding

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6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Caring for terminally ill patients with minor children can be very stressful. The perceived quality of life is significantly influenced by the Meaning in Life (MiL). No studies were found that focus on the prioritized special needs of this patient group. Objectives: The aim is to compare and contrast terminally ill parents with minor children and palliative care patients in Germany, in order to provide appropriate support beyond medical, nursing or therapeutic interventions. Methods: Terminally ill parents diagnosed were surveyed using a validated instrument 'Schedule for Meaning in Life Evaluation (SMiLE)'. The study listed various areas that contribute to the MiL, followed by an evaluation of their importance and satisfaction levels. The researchers then compared these findings with data collected from palliative care patients. Results: In Germany, 54 patients, mostly female and with a mean age of 43, were included in this study between February 2017 and September 2020. The median age of the 96 children during the survey phase was 7 years. The comparison group consists of 100 palliative care patients in Germany; mostly aged 50 years and older. For terminally ill patients most important areas were in decreasing order family (100%), social relations (80%), leisure time (61%), nature/animals (39%) and home/garden (30%). Although the overall indices are close between both groups, there are significant and highly correlated differences between them. Parents felt limited by their illness in being a mother or father, as they wanted to be. Conclusion: The involvement with SMiLE led patients to consider their coping resources. The areas relevant to terminally ill parents differed from those relevant to palliative care patients. All participants identified family as the most important factor for MiL. The results suggest that evaluating MiL can serve as a coping strategy and help terminally ill parents with minor children.

Indexed as

biographymeaning in lifepalliative carequality of lifereminiscenceterminally ill parent with minor children

Identifiers

PMID39086470
PMCPMC11289801

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