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Effect of dignity therapy on distress and end-of-life experience in terminally ill patients: a randomised controlled trial
Open accessAbstract
Background Dignity therapy is a unique, individualised, short-term psychotherapy that was developed for patients (and their families) living with life-threatening or life-limiting illness. We investigated whether dignity therapy could mitigate distress or bolster the experience in patients nearing the end of their lives.Methods Patients (aged ≥18 years) with a terminal prognosis (life expectancy ≤6 months) who were receiving palliative care in a hospital or community setting (hospice or home) in Canada, USA, and Australia were randomly assigned to dignity therapy, client-centred care, or standard palliative care in a 1:1:1 ratio. Randomisation was by use of a computer-generated table of random numbers in blocks of 30. Allocation concealment was by use of opaque sealed envelopes. The primary outcomes--reductions in various dimensions of distress before and after completion of the study--were measured with the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Spiritual Well-Being Scale, Patient Dignity Inventory, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, items from the Structured Interview for Symptoms and Concerns, Quality of Life Scale, and modified Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale. Secondary outcomes of self-reported end-of-life experiences were assessed in a survey that was undertaken after the completion of the study. Outcomes were assessed by research staff with whom the participant had no previous contact to avoid any possible response bias or contamination. Analyses were done on all patients with available data at baseline and at the end of the study intervention. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00133965.Findings 165 of 441 patients were assigned to dignity therapy, 140 standard palliative care, and 136 client-centred care. 108, 111, and 107 patients, respectively, were analysed. No significant differences were noted in the distress levels before and after completion of the study in the three groups. For the secondary outcomes, patients reported that dignity therapy was significantly more likely than the other two interventions to have been helpful (χ(2)=35·50, df=2; p<0·0001), improve quality of life (χ(2)=14·52; p=0·001), increase sense of dignity (χ(2)=12·66; p=0·002), change how their family saw and appreciated them (χ(2)=33·81; p<0·0001), and be helpful to their family (χ(2)=33·86; p<0·0001). Dignity therapy was significantly better than client-centred care in improving spiritual wellbeing (χ(2)=10·35; p=0·006), and was significantly better than standard palliative care in terms of lessening sadness or depression (χ(2)=9·38; p=0·009); significantly more patients who had received dignity therapy reported that the study group had been satisfactory, compared with those who received standard palliative care (χ(2)=29·58; p<0·0001).Interpretation Although the ability of dignity therapy to mitigate outright distress, such as depression, desire for death or suicidality, has yet to be proven, its benefits in terms of self-reported end-of-life experiences support its clinical application for patients nearing death.Funding National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health.
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“The intervention was administered by the first author as part of her PhD studies, who was trained in dignity therapy by Harvey Max Chochinov who developed dignity therapy [1,4].”
From Feasibility, acceptability and potential effectiveness of dignity therapy for family carers of people with motor neurone disease (2014) · cites this paper as [1]
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“Further, many interventions for adults with metastatic cancer (e.g., [14, 23]) are disconnected from the scientific evidence base on how to effectively reduce distress or change behavior.”
From A randomized controlled trial of a multi-modal palliative care intervention to promote advance care planning and psychological well-being among adults with advanced cancer: study protocol. (2022) · cites this paper as [14]
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“Many palliative care interventions address a single dimension of palliative care – e.g., ACP directive completion or sense of life meaning – or focus on patients in general rather than the anxious and depressed patients most in need of support [5, 13–15].”
From A randomized controlled trial of a multi-modal palliative care intervention to promote advance care planning and psychological well-being among adults with advanced cancer: study protocol. (2022) · cites this paper as [14]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
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“Though notable meaning-focused interventions for metastatic cancer patients exist (e.g., [14, 15]), none directly target avoidance of internal experience [25]”
From A randomized controlled trial of a multi-modal palliative care intervention to promote advance care planning and psychological well-being among adults with advanced cancer: study protocol. (2022) · cites this paper as [14]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
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“Dignity therapy was significantly better than client-centered care (but not standard palliative care) in improving spiritual well-being”
From Psychosocial and Integrative Oncology: Interventions Across the Disease Trajectory. (2023) · cites this paper as Chochinov et al. 2011
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
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“it was significantly better than standard palliative care in terms of lessening sadness or depression”
From Psychosocial and Integrative Oncology: Interventions Across the Disease Trajectory. (2023) · cites this paper as Chochinov et al. 2011
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“Dignity therapy is a brief psychotherapeutic intervention which has been shown to enhance the end of life experience in people with life-limiting conditions [1].”
From Feasibility, acceptability and potential effectiveness of dignity therapy for family carers of people with motor neurone disease (2014) · cites this paper as [1]
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“This is similar to the findings for terminally ill cancer patients, where distressed individuals had a decrease in anxiety and depression scores [2], but those with low baseline levels of distress showed no change [1].”
From Feasibility, acceptability and potential effectiveness of dignity therapy for family carers of people with motor neurone disease (2014) · cites this paper as [1]
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“Palliative care research has developed personally tailored, individually delivered interventions requiring significant resources (e.g., [14, 23, 38])”
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“Postintervention, the participants reported that dignity therapy was significantly more likely than the other two interventions to be helpful, improve QL, increase sense of dignity, change how their families saw and appreciated them, and help their families.”
From Psychosocial and Integrative Oncology: Interventions Across the Disease Trajectory. (2023) · cites this paper as Chochinov et al. 2011
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“Postintervention, the participants reported that dignity therapy was significantly more likely than the other two interventions to be helpful, improve QL, increase sense of dignity, change how their families saw and appreciated them, and help their families.”
From Psychosocial and Integrative Oncology: Interventions Across the Disease Trajectory. (2023) · cites this paper as Chochinov et al. 2011
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“Postintervention, the participants reported that dignity therapy was significantly more likely than the other two interventions to be helpful, improve QL, increase sense of dignity, change how their families saw and appreciated them, and help their families.”
From Psychosocial and Integrative Oncology: Interventions Across the Disease Trajectory. (2023) · cites this paper as Chochinov et al. 2011
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“Postintervention, the participants reported that dignity therapy was significantly more likely than the other two interventions to be helpful, improve QL, increase sense of dignity, change how their families saw and appreciated them, and help their families.”
From Psychosocial and Integrative Oncology: Interventions Across the Disease Trajectory. (2023) · cites this paper as Chochinov et al. 2011
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“Postintervention, the participants reported that dignity therapy was significantly more likely than the other two interventions to be helpful, improve QL, increase sense of dignity, change how their families saw and appreciated them, and help their families.”
From Psychosocial and Integrative Oncology: Interventions Across the Disease Trajectory. (2023) · cites this paper as Chochinov et al. 2011
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Citations
Cites
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“The construct of meaning in life has generated increasing interest among clinicians and researchers in other areas of palliative care (Breitbart et al., 2010; Chochinov et al., 2011; Lee et al., 2006).”
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“There is current evidence supporting DT’s application on adults with life-threatening illnesses, largely with end-stage cancer, with significant benefits on outcomes such as dignity-related distress, meaning of life, sense of purpose, and psychosocial distress such as depression, anxiety, will to live, and desire for…”
BackgroundSelf-citationValuing the individual – evaluating the Dignity Care Intervention
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“Patients exposed to dignity therapy reported an improvement in quality of life, dignity, and feeling appreciated by family and helpful to family when compared to the other two groups (Chochinov et al., 2011).”
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“Dignity therapy is a short-term, individualized therapy, focused on the patient and his family, aimed at relieving stress, and facilitating a conscious experience of the end-of-life in the circumstances of impending death [2].”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialValdés‐Stauber, J., Stabenow, U., Böttinger, J., Krämer, S., & Kilian, R. (2021) · BMC Palliative Care · doi:10.1186/s12904-021-00818-y · Cited by 6
“As highlighted above, the dimensions proposed may be taken into account in supportive dialogues with dying people and their relatives, similarly to Dignity therapy [36], Meaning-centred psychotherapy [37], and Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM) [38, 39], but also in the supervision of professionals working…”
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Watts, L., Smith, J., McSherry, W., Tatterton, M. J., & Rodriguez, A. (2020) · OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine · doi:10.21926/obm.icm.2001012 · Cited by 6
“Our evidence synthesis of published research focusing on CYP (aged up to 24 years) with LLTC found only four published studies about DT and related meaning making interventions for this age group [17]; one focused on young people (7-17 years) [19], the other three included young people but mean ages were 50-70 years […”
BackgroundMethodLaganà, L. (2014) · Journal of Women s Health Care · doi:10.4172/2167-0420.1000205 · Cited by 6
“Facing the threat of death can aid in making the most of life [75-76,108].”
BackgroundResearch progress in the definition, assessment tools, and practice of spiritual care
Deng, L., & Liu, H. (2020) · Frontiers of Nursing · doi:10.2478/fon-2020-0014 · Cited by 6
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“2 F o r e s t p l o t s ho w i ng m e t a - a n a l y s i s o f t h e c h a ng e i n s p i r it u a l w e ll - b e i ng (Chochinov et al., 2011), and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) (Chen et al., 2021).”
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Bovero, A., Zerbinati, L., Grassi, L. G., Mah, K., Rodin, G., Hales, S., Malfitano, C., Tiberto, E., Leombruni, P., Miniotti, M., et al. (2022) · Palliative & Supportive Care · doi:10.1017/s1478951522001638 · Cited by 5
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“DT, 11,14-16, 18 , 19 LRT, 20,22 narrative intervention, 25, 26 IMCP, 28, When psychotherapy was classified according to the expected life expectancy, psychotherapy was conducted on patients with a life expectancy of ≤6 months or ≤12 months in narrative intervention, 26 MaP, 32 and DT. 11,12,14,15,17,19 In studies tha…”
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“Two trials (Chochinov et al., 2011; Hall et al., 2012), including 255 patients, evaluated the availability of dignity therapy for the life quality of advanced cancer patients.”
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“Therefore, the ceiling and floor effects did not show statistically significant differences after therapy [5,13,32].”
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“These conversations are tape-recorded, transcribed, and edited into a generativity document, which could be given to the patients to be bequeathed to their families as a memoir (Chochinov et al. 2011), thus making meaning through generativity.”
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“Similarly, studies using the Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI)(2) suggest that individuals with cancer receiving palliative care in the community or hospital experience little dignity-related distress.(3,4) Whether these findings are applicable in the setting of an inpatient geriatric palliative care unit is unknown.”
ResultDignity therapy for patients who are terminally ill
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“There are other well-investigated existential psychotherapeutic approaches, such as dignity therapy (Chochinov et al., 2011), existential behavioral therapy for informal caregivers (Fegg et al., 2008; Thurn et al., 2015), and mindfulness-based stress reduction (Hou et al., 2014; Kögler et al.,…”
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“Setting a minimum threshold for spiritual well-being as a criterion for study inclusion would have excluded most patients and caused difficulty with recruitment [69].”
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“A further concern is that, without large-scale empirical testing, DiRePal may appear speculative when compared with established interventions such as DT (Chochinov et al. 2011).”
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“Dignity therapy involving the writing of a book about the patients life which becomes a legacy gift to family [10], [11].”
BackgroundEffects of Dignity Therapy on individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Case studies
Meira, M. D. V., da Silva, R. S., Chochinov, H. M., de Medeiros, M. O. S. F., Ferreira, M. M. D. M., & Salvetti, M. D. G. (2024) · Palliative & Supportive Care · doi:10.1017/s1478951523001888 · Cited by 4
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“It displays satisfactory effects and has been recommended for clinical and epidemiologic research [14, 15].”
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“54 Mind – body interventions, such as mindfulness and relaxation techniques, can improve psychological aspects of total pain and enhance mental well-being.”
Psychoonkologische Unterstützung für Patienten mit begrenzter Lebenserwartung
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“Dignity therapy has been shown in some studies, to be more effective than standard care in alleviating distress in patients with endstage cancer.(5,8) Engaging in dignity therapy at the end of life acknowledges that the patient has a voice and a deeply personal history to share.”
BackgroundThareja, S. K., Laridaen, J., Puls, I., O'Connor, C. A., Jovaag, S., Ringler, T., McBride, M., & Berger, B. D. (2023) · Medical Science Educator · doi:10.1007/s40670-023-01854-4 · Cited by 4
“A core component of narrative medicine is life story work, which encompasses storytelling, narrative writing, and reflective exercises, and is commonly used in geriatric medicine [17–20].”
BackgroundFactors and topics associated with empathic self-disclosure in dignity therapy of cancer patients
Crowe, A., Koch, M. K., Bluck, S., Amin, T. B., Thomas, L., Fitchett, G. A., Wilkie, D. J., & Bylund, C. L. (2024) · PEC Innovation · doi:10.1016/j.pecinn.2024.100289 · Cited by 4
“While Dignity Therapy has been shown to foster dignity [4,5], understanding how Dignity Therapy providers communicate empathy during the Dignity Therapy interview is valuable for future implementation.”
BackgroundKoch, M. K., Maggiore, S., Bylund, C. L., Chochinov, H. M., Kittlelson, S., Wilkie, D. J., & Bluck, S. (2024) · Palliative & Supportive Care · doi:10.1017/s1478951524001329 · Cited by 4
“The Dignity Impact Scale is a 7-item scale assessing impact of care on patients’ current sense of dignity and psychological well-being (Chochinov et al. 2011).”
Self-citationSharifmoradi, T., Yousefi, H., Atashi, V., Hashemi, N., & Sami, R. (2024) · Journal of Education and Health Promotion · doi:10.4103/jehp.jehp_1237_23 · Cited by 4
“[18] According to the results of studies and the researcher’s personal experience, nurses are supposed to provide patients with physical care and listen to their concerns and try to reduce the anxiety and stress of patients with chronic diseases, who are in the final stages of their life by…”
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Stahnke, B., & Cooley, M. E. (2022) · Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy · doi:10.1007/s10879-022-09532-z · Cited by 4
“One study indicated its effectiveness in increasing quality of life, dignity, and experiences of families when compared to standard palliative care and client-centered approaches (Chochinov et al., 2011).”
BackgroundCost considerations for implementing dignity therapy in palliative care: Insights and implications
Yacoub, R. A., Rangel, A. P., Shum-Jimenez, A., Greenlee, A., Yao, Y., Schoppee, T. M., Fitchett, G. A., Handzo, G. F., Chochinov, H. M., Emanuel, L. L., et al. (2023) · Palliative & Supportive Care · doi:10.1017/s1478951523001177 · Cited by 4
“…for more research on the effect of DT on physical and emotional symptoms, there is ample evidence supporting its clinical use for patients approaching death to enhance their end-of-life experience and promote an increased sense of meaning and purpose (Chochinov et al. 2011; Fitchett et al. 2015).”
Self-citationPessin, H., Dustin, A., Behrens, M. R., Saracino, R. M., Lichtenthal, W. G., Applebaum, A. J., Roberts, K. E., & BREITBART, W. S. (2024) · Translational Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1093/tbm/ibae026 · Cited by 4
Self-citationThe Role of the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in Spiritual Care
FERRELL, B. R. (2016) · doi:10.1093/med/9780190204747.003.0044 · Cited by 4
Spirituality/religion and end-of-life care
Peteet, J. R. (2020) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-816766-3.00011-2 · Cited by 4
Desarrollo de una Intervención en Espiritualidad en Pacientes con Cáncer
Pedraza, R. S., Matamoros, F. A. S., & Urrego, S. C. S. C. (2014) · Universitas Psychologica · doi:10.11144/javeriana.upsy14-1.dice · Cited by 5
Efectividad de la intervención psicosocial en pacientes con enfermedad avanzada y final vida
Mateo-Ortega, D., Gómez‐Batiste, X., Limonero, J. T., Martínez-Muñoz, M., Buisan, M., & de Pascual, V. (2013) · Psicooncología · doi:10.5209/rev_psic.2013.v10.n2-3.43451 · Cited by 4
Ageing 4 Subjective wellbeing, health, and ageing
Steptoe, A., Deaton, A., & Stone, A. A. (2014) · Cited by 4
Jordan, A. E., Malhotra, S., Maree, R. D., Schenker, Y., Arnold, R. M., & Reynolds, C. F. (2015) · Harvard Review of Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/hrp.0000000000000069 · Cited by 4
“Another study was designed to determine if dignity therapy could lessen dimensions of distress and enhance the quality of the dying experience compared to standard palliative care and client-centered care.(50) In this randomized, controlled study, client-centered care was defined as a supportive psychotherapeutic appr…”
BackgroundMohammed, R., Shawer, O., & Mohamed, M. (2019) · Assiut Scientific Nursing Journal · doi:10.21608/asnj.2019.69570 · Cited by 4
“Vol , (7) No, (19) December 2019, pp (26-36) 29 Results”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialSmith, T. J. (2013) · Milbank Quarterly · doi:10.1111/1468-0009.12031 · Cited by 4
“discuss wills, living wills, CPR, hospice, and legacy creation as ways to preserve their dignity (Chochinov et al. 2011).”
BackgroundThe physician's role in physician-assisted suicide
BREITBART, W. S. (2012) · Palliative & Supportive Care · doi:10.1017/s1478951512000752 · Cited by 4
Self-citationNarrative Approaches with Older Adults
Bhar, S. S. (2016) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-287-080-3_95-1 · Cited by 5
Meaning making And Generativity In Children and Young people with Life limiting conditions (MAGICYL)
Watts, L., Rodriguez, A., Tatterton, M. J., McSherry, W., & Smith, J. (2019) · Evidence-Based Nursing · doi:10.1136/ebnurs-2019-103075 · Cited by 4
Tantam, D., & van Deurzen, E. (2019) · doi:10.1002/9781119167198.ch27 · Cited by 4
Goyarrola, R., Lamminmäki, A., Sipola, V. A., Karvinen, I., Peake, M., Saarelainen, S.-M. K., Santavirta, N., Niemi‐Murola, L., & Pöyhiä, R. (2024) · Palliative Medicine Reports · doi:10.1089/pmr.2023.0078 · Cited by 3
Evidence summary of meaning in life intervention for cancer patients
Yuan, P., Lu, W., Xia, Y., Yang, W., Zhong, X., Wang, M., Zhang, Y., Fang, T., Xie, Y., Li, X., et al. (2025) · Frontiers in Oncology · doi:10.3389/fonc.2025.1603349 · Cited by 3
“It seemed I was having a conversation with him”: Posthumous Dignity Therapy case series
Julião, M., Simões, C., & Chochinov, H. M. (2025) · Palliative & Supportive Care · doi:10.1017/s1478951525000173 · Cited by 3
“DT has been shown to reduce dignity-related distress, enhance meaning, and alleviate psychosocial distress such as depression and anxiety, particularly for adults with life-threatening illnesses (Chochinov et al. 2011; Julião et al. 2014; Cuevas et al. 2021; Johnston et al. 2023).”
Self-citationPsychological Issues in Head and Neck Cancer
Stout, R. A., Beckman, N. J., Shelby, S. R., & Labott, S. M. (2013) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-94-007-5827-8_25 · Cited by 4
“These therapies are aimed at preserving and strengthening personal dignity and sense of self as described in Breitbart and Chochinov’s models [ 238, 243 ] .”
BackgroundSinnbasierte Interventionen bei fortgeschritten erkrankten Patienten
Schulz‐Kindermann, F., & Vehling, S. (2017) · Der Onkologe · doi:10.1007/s00761-017-0281-z · Cited by 3
“IneinemmultivariatenRegressionsmodell, daswichtige soziodemographische und klinischeVariablen kontrollierte, war die Depressionswahrscheinlichkeit für Patienten mit einer nichtmetastasierten Erkrankung bekannter Genese 5-mal niedriger und die für Patienten mit metastasierter Erkrankung 3,3- mal niedriger als die für C…”
BackgroundInfluentialSuizidalität bei Krebspatienten
Rabe, A., van Oorschot, B., & Jentschke, E. (2020) · Der Onkologe · doi:10.1007/s00761-020-00712-x · Cited by 3
Journey Towards the End of Life
Cordella, M., & Poiani, A. (2021) · International perspectives on aging · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-60071-6_8 · Cited by 3
Lin, J., Zhao, Y., & Guo, Q. (2022) · European Journal of Cancer Care · doi:10.1111/ecc.13670 · Cited by 3
Global Aspects of Palliative Care
Connor, S. R. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-31738-0_4-2 · Cited by 3
Rodrigues, M. G. D. R., Warne, D. W., Scuderi, L., Lilla, D., Stanić, J., & Pautex, S. (2024) · European Journal of Oncology Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.ejon.2024.102506 · Cited by 3
Feasibility and Acceptability of Dignity Therapy for People with Advanced Neurodegenerative Disease
Labuschagne, D., Fleisher, J. E., Woo, K., & Fitchett, G. A. (2024) · Journal of Pain and Symptom Management · doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2024.01.034 · Cited by 3
Bennemann, A. C. K., Paiva, C. E., Julião, M., Chochinov, H. M., Marques, C., Costa, R. F. A., de Oliveira, L. C., Miwa, M. U., Trevizan, F. B., Valentino, T. C. D. O., et al. (2024) · Palliative & Supportive Care · doi:10.1017/s1478951524001408 · Cited by 3
Self-citationKarusoo‐Musumeci, A., Yeoh, L., Walton, R., Dao‐Tran, T., Halcomb, E., Auret, K. A., Clayton, J. M., Kurrle, S. E., Campbell, E., Hilgeman, M. M., et al. (2024) · Contemporary Clinical Trials · doi:10.1016/j.cct.2024.107795 · Cited by 3
Palliative care outcome measures in COPD patients: a conceptual review
Antoniu, S. A., & Boiculese, L. V. (2016) · Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research · doi:10.1586/14737167.2016.1162714 · Cited by 3
“demonstrated to improve spiritual well-being across various end-stage pathologies [63].”
BackgroundSpirituality in Palliative Care
Leget, C. J. W. (2019) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-77740-5_28 · Cited by 3
Human Dignitas, Dignity in Care - A Precious Need –
Julião, M. (2015) · International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience · doi:10.4172/1522-4821.1000e225 · Cited by 3
Spiritual care in Israel: the future is now
Kinzbrunner, B. M., & Kinzbrunner, B. D. (2014) · Israel Journal of Health Policy Research · doi:10.1186/2045-4015-3-32 · Cited by 3
Dignity, evidence, and empathy
Kagan, S. H. (2015) · Geriatric Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.gerinurse.2015.08.005 · Cited by 3
L’acceptabilité de l’intervention Revie ⊕ : perception et vécu des infirmières
Rodrigues, M. G. D. R., Colin, S., Shaha, M., & Pautex, S. (2017) · Recherche en soins infirmiers · doi:10.3917/rsi.127.0055 · Cited by 3
Would You Refer This Patient With Cancer to a Palliative Care Specialist?
Reynolds, E. E., Buss, M. K., Schlechter, B. L., & Tess, A. V. (2019) · Annals of Internal Medicine · doi:10.7326/m19-0361 · Cited by 3
The Handbook of Wellness Medicine
Snellings, J. E. (2021) · Family Medicine · doi:10.22454/fammed.2021.204951 · Cited by 3
Clinical psychology in palliative care
Mehnert, A. (2015) · doi:10.1093/med/9780199656097.003.0413 · Cited by 3
Psychiatric Issues in Cancer Patients
Roth, A. J., & Jaeger, A. (2018) · The American Cancer Society's Principles of Oncology · doi:10.1002/9781119468868.ch29 · Cited by 2
Ramos, K., Ayaz, A., Riley, J. A., Faircloth, K., Porter, L. S., & Strauman, T. J. (2025) · Cancers · doi:10.3390/cancers17172809 · Cited by 2
“The third study, a large-scale RCT of Dignity Therapy (N = 326), primarily involving older adults found improvements in quality of life but no changes in psychological distress [41].”
Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in Palliative Care—Insights from an International Workshop
Schuldt, A., Clark, I. C., Schmid, Y., Ljuslin, M., Boehlke, C. S., Schipper, S., Sands, M. B., & Blum, D. (2025) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare13182275 · Cited by 2
Meaning and Psychedelics in Palliative Care: A Narrative Review
Alexander, W. B., Hansen, E., Anderson, B. T., Zarrabi, A. J., Rogers, A. H., Loewen, G., Ficcaro, Z. R., Alexander, M. H., Schaefer, D., & Case, A. A. (2025) · Journal of Pain and Symptom Management · doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2025.10.015 · Cited by 3
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Романова, А. (2026) · Journal of Poetry Therapy · doi:10.1080/08893675.2026.2672413 · Cited by 2
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“…Ott Anderson & Geist Martin, 2003; Steensma, 2013; Suter et al., 2021; Wise et al., 2018; Zhang et al., 2017) including what has been described as dignity-conserving therapy or “dignity therapy” for people with life-limiting illnesses (Chochinov, 2002; Chochinov et al., 2011; Hall et al., 2011).”
Faria, M. R., Merçon, J. C. A., Malveira, L. L., Correa, K. F. R., & Júnior, G. C. D. O. (2023) · Brazilian Journal of Implantology and Health Sciences · doi:10.36557/2674-8169.2023v5n5p460-472 · Cited by 2
Integrating Palliative Care Into the Management of Genitourinary Malignancies
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Storytelling to support legacy making for bereaved parents of children with cancer
Paul, T. K., Daniels, S. R., Love, A., Hart, K., & Kaye, E. C. (2024) · Pediatric Blood & Cancer · doi:10.1002/pbc.31272 · Cited by 2
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Desarrollo de una intervención centrada en espiritualidad en pacientes con cáncer
Urrego, S. C. S. C., Matamoros, F. A. S., & Sánchez, R. (2015) · Redalyc (Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México) · doi:10.11144/javeriana.upsy13-5.dice · Cited by 2
Metadata
- Authors
- Chochinov, H. M., Kristjanson, L. J., Breitbart, W., McClement, S., Hack, T. F., Hassard, T., & Harlos, M.
- Affiliations
- CancerCare Manitoba (CA)
- Edith Cowan University (AU)
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (US)
- University of Manitoba (CA)
- Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Chochinov, Harvey Max
- Venue
- The Lancet Oncology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2011-08
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 753-762
- ISSN
- 1470-2045 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3185066
- OpenAlex
- W2041265397
- Cited by
- 775
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 40 · 2025: 46 · 2024: 60 · 2023: 51 · 2022: 52 · 2021: 49 · 2020: 112 · 2019: 46 · 2018: 41 · 2017: 60 · 2016: 46 · 2015: 47 · 2014: 45 · 2013: 43 · 2012: 32
- FWCI
- 38.95
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- The Lancet Oncology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Edith Cowan University Research Online (Edith Cowan University) (submittedVersion)
- eSpace (Curtin University) (submittedVersion)
- Swinburne figshare (Swinburne University of Technology) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
- Canada Research Chairs
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research
- National Cancer Institute (R01CA102201)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Issues, ethics and legal aspects › Patient Dignity and Privacy
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative and Oncologic Care
- Keywords
- dignity therapy, terminal illness, end-of-life care, palliative care, distress, quality of life, sense of dignity, spiritual well-being, client-centred care, patient experience, symptom burden, anxiety and depression, patient-centered care
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Australia, Canada, Counseling, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Neoplasms, Palliative Care, Psychotherapy, Brief, Quality of Life, Surveys and Questionnaires, Stress, Psychological, United States, Treatment Outcome, Terminally Ill
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