Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40748888›Full record

ArticleDeath studies2026

"Quality of life matters to me more than life, itself": A qualitative exploration of older adults' values and preferences on controlling the time of death.

Jordana L Clayton, Nancy Aruscavage, Sharon E Bigger, Sara G Bybee, Rebecca L Utz, Eli Iacob, Kara B Dassel

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Death studies, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Jordana L ClaytonCollege of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of Utah. Carolyn and Kem Gardner Commons Suite 3725, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.ORCID 0009-0002-5014-9164
Nancy AruscavageCollege of Nursing, University of Utah, 10 South 2000 East, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.ORCID 0009-0007-2385-9538
Sharon E BiggerCollege of Nursing, University of Utah, 10 South 2000 East, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6859-6697
Sara G BybeeCollege of Nursing, University of Utah, 10 South 2000 East, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5878-6593
Rebecca L UtzCollege of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of Utah. Carolyn and Kem Gardner Commons Suite 3725, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7734-7676
Eli IacobCollege of Nursing, University of Utah, 10 South 2000 East, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1617-0314
Kara B DasselCollege of Nursing, University of Utah, 10 South 2000 East, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-8236-9693

Funding

UNIVERSITY OF UTAH CENTER FOR CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE-UL1: BPCAUL1RR025764 · NCRR · UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · PI MCCLAIN, DONALD A. · 2008 to 2011
$19.4M
University of Utah Center for Clinical and Translational Science-UL1UL1TR000105 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · PI MCCLAIN, DONALD A. · 2012 to 2013
$5.1M
LEADing End-of-Life Dementia Care ConversationsR01AG069033 · NIA · UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · PI KARA Bottiggi Dassel · 2022 to 2026
$3.1M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR000105NCRR NIH HHS UL1 RR025764NIA NIH HHS R01 AG069033
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study explored healthy older adults' values and preferences for controlling time of death and if these preferences change with hypothetical future disease. We used an interpretive descriptive approach to analyze open text responses (N = 121) from a national study on end-of-life values and preferences (age ≥ 50, N = 517). Codes/categories were developed deductively by three coders who engaged in ongoing conversation about discrepancies and refined the codes iteratively. Controlling time of death and having a natural death were both desirable care preferences and varied with hypothetical future disease. We identified three values that shaped preferences: A Good Death, Burden to Others, and Relationship with Family. We also identified two contextual factors that modified preferences: Disease Trajectory and Legal Concerns. We found that a hypothetical future diagnosis of dementia and anticipation of financial burden to family motivated preferences to control time of death.

Indexed as

Attitude to DeathPatient PreferenceQuality of LifeTerminal CareAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedQualitative Research

Identifiers

PMID40748888
PMCPMC13380078

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.