Validation of Death and Dying Distress Scale-Chinese Version and Prevalence of Death Anxiety Among Patients With Advanced Cancer

Bibliographic Data

ID15527701
AuthorsLili Tang (0000-0002-5269-3297, Peking University Cancer Hospital, corresponding author), Yening Zhang (0000-0002-1604-9912, Peking University Cancer Hospital), Ying Pang (0000-0001-6195-2150, Peking University), Yuhe Zhou (0000-0001-5384-2875, Peking University Cancer Hospital), Jinjiang Li (0000-0002-2080-8678, Peking University Cancer Hospital), Song Lili (0000-0002-2633-4645, Peking University Cancer Hospital), Yi He (0000-0002-5562-4190, Peking University), Zimeng Li (0000-0002-3484-5816, Peking University Cancer Hospital), Yan Wang (0009-0009-9633-0023, Peking University Cancer Hospital)
Year2021
Volume12
Pages715756-715756
Publication date2021-10-20
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1664-0640 • E-ISSN: 1664-0640
PublisherFrontiers Media (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpsyt.2021.715756
PMID34744816
OpenAlexW3213336817
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited8

Purpose: Death anxiety is commonly experienced by individuals with advanced cancer who have a limited life expectancy. The Death and Dying Distress Scale (DADDS) is a validated measure that was created to capture this experience; but no Chinese version is available to date. We conducted a cross-sectional study to explore the psychometric properties of a Chinese version DADDS (DADDS-C) and address prevalence of death anxiety among patients with advanced cancer. Methods: Patients with advanced cancer were recruited from Peking University Cancer Hospital. Measures administered included: DADDS-C, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), General Anxiety Disorder-7(GAD-7), Quality of Life at End of Life in Cancer (QUAL-EC), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being Scale (FACIT-sp). McDonald's Omega, Cronbach's alpha, Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were used to test DADDS-C's reliability and validity. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for death anxiety. Results: Of 300 patients approached, 256 (85%) provided informed consent and completed the questionnaires. Of these participants, 43 (16.8%) had moderate death anxiety based on scores of ≥45 on the DADDS-C. Three factors (feeling shortness of time, dying and death distress, being a burden to others) explained 71.643% of shared variation with factor loadings ranging from 0.629 to 0.822. Cronbach's alpha was 0.939; Omega total was 0.959. DADDS-C had acceptable convergent and discriminant validity. Logistic regression analysis indicated that two factors (better relationship with healthcare providers and preparation for end of life) protected patients from death anxiety. Conclusion: DADDS-C is a valid tool for measuring death anxiety in Chinese patients with advanced cancer. The presence of at least moderate death anxiety in a substantial minority of these patients calls for screening for this symptom and for more routine psychological interventions to alleviate and prevent such distress in this population

Anxiety · Confirmatory factor analysis · Cronbach's alpha · Death anxiety · Discriminant validity · Distress · Exploratory factor analysis · Logistic regression · Palliative care · Psychiatry · Psychometrics · Quality of life (healthcare · Structural equation modeling · Cancer survivorship and care · Clinical Psychology · Medicine · Nursing · Optimism, Hope, and Well-being · Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues · Internal Medicine

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