Dignity Therapy: A Novel Psychotherapeutic Intervention for Patients Near the End of Life
Abstract
Purpose: This study examined a novel intervention, dignity therapy, designed to address psychosocial and existential distress among terminally ill patients. Dignity therapy invites patients to discuss issues that matter most or that they would most want remembered. Sessions are transcribed and edited, with a returned final version that they can bequeath to a friend or family member. The objective of this study was to establish the feasibility of dignity therapy and determine its impact on various measures of psychosocial and existential distress. Patients and Methods: Terminally ill inpatients and those receiving home-based palliative care services in Winnipeg, Canada, and Perth, Australia, were asked to complete pre- and postintervention measures of sense of dignity, depression, suffering, and hopelessness; sense of purpose, sense of meaning, desire for death, will to live, and suicidality; and a postintervention satisfaction survey. Results: Ninety-one percent of participants reported being satisfied with dignity therapy; 76% reported a heightened sense of dignity; 68% reported an increased sense of purpose; 67% reported a heightened sense of meaning; 47% reported an increased will to live; and 81% reported that it had been or would be of help to their family. Postintervention measures of suffering showed significant improvement (P = .023) and reduced depressive symptoms (P = .05). Finding dignity therapy helpful to their family correlated with life feeling more meaningful (r = 0.480; P = .000) and having a sense of purpose (r = 0.562; P = .000), accompanied by a lessened sense of suffering (r = 0.327; P = .001) and increased will to live (r = 0.387; P = .000). Conclusion: Dignity therapy shows promise as a novel therapeutic intervention for suffering and distress at the end of life.
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The intervention was administered by the first author, who was trained in dignity therapy by Harvey Max Chochinov.
“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 [4]
Dignity therapy is based on a theoretical model of dignity in the terminally ill and aims to reduce dignity-related distress while enhancing hope and meaning.
“Dignity therapy is based on a theoretical model of dignity in the terminally ill [3] and its purpose is to reduce dignity-related distress while enhancing hope and meaning [4].”
From Feasibility, acceptability and potential effectiveness of dignity therapy for family carers of people with motor neurone disease (2014) · cites this paper as [4]
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- Authors
- Chochinov, H. M., Hack, T., Hassard, T., Kristjanson, L. J., McClement, S., & Harlos, M.
- Affiliations
- Edith Cowan University (AU)
- Venue
- Journal of Clinical Oncology
- Published
- 2005-08-20
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 24
- Pages
- 5520-5525
- ISSN
- 0732-183X (ISSN-L)
- 1527-7755
- OpenAlex
- W2130244150
- Cited by
- 1,033
- References
- 18
- Citations by year
- 2026: 62 · 2025: 61 · 2024: 59 · 2023: 59 · 2022: 73 · 2021: 71 · 2020: 54 · 2019: 51 · 2018: 55 · 2017: 53 · 2016: 44 · 2015: 46 · 2014: 49 · 2013: 59 · 2012: 54
- FWCI
- 22.28
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Clinical Oncology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Australasian Journal of Paramedicine (submittedVersion)
- eSpace (Curtin University) (submittedVersion)
- DigitalGeorgetown (Georgetown University Library) (submittedVersion)
- Swinburne figshare (Swinburne University of Technology) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › 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, end-of-life care, palliative care, dying patients, existential suffering, psychosocial distress, sense of dignity, meaningfulness, sense of purpose, suffering, depression, hopelessness, suicidality, will to live, patient satisfaction, feasibility, home-based palliative care, inpatient palliative care
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Aged, Attitude to Death, Australia, Family Relations, Humans, Manitoba, Middle Aged, Neoplasms, Quality of Life, Right to Die, Stress, Psychological, Terminal Care, Patient Satisfaction, Cost of Illness, Statistics, Nonparametric, Terminally Ill, Spirituality
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