Quality of Life for Older Cancer Patients: Relation of Psychospiritual Distress to Meaning-Making During Dignity Therapy.
Susan Bluck, Emily L Mroz, Diana J Wilkie and 5 others
PMID 33926243WHAT IT FOUND
Patients with higher dignity, spiritual, or quality-of-life distress at baseline engaged in more meaning-making during Dignity Therapy.
This suggests the intervention may be most actively used by those struggling most, though the study did not test if it improved outcomes.
Key findings
01Higher baseline dignity-related distress, spiritual distress, and lower quality of life were correlated with more frequent meaning-making during Dignity Therapy sessions.
02Meaning-making occurred in all patients but varied widely, ranging from 11% to 75% of the session content.
03Symptom and existential distress were specifically linked to greater meaning-making, whereas dependency concerns were not.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (25 patients), limiting statistical power and generalizability. The study was cross-sectional regarding the therapy process; it measured meaning-making during the session but did not assess whether this engagement led to improved patient outcomes after the therapy. Participants generally had mild to moderate symptoms and relatively high quality of life, so findings may not apply to patients with severe distress or cognitive impairment. The study did not control for variations in how different therapists delivered the intervention.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest or funding sources were reported in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the increased meaning-making in distressed patients as evidence that Dignity Therapy improved their condition. The study measured engagement during the session, not post-therapy outcomes, and did not include a control group.