CARING FOR TERMINALLY ILL PERSONS - COMPARATIVE-ANALYSIS OF ATTITUDES(THANATOPHOBIA) OF PRACTICING PHYSICIANS, STUDENT NURSES, AND MEDICAL, STUDENTS

To investigate why some caregivers desire to avoid patients with termi nal illnesses, a thanatophobia scale assessing caregivers' uncomfortab le feelings and sense of helplessness was developed and evaluated amon g practicing physicians and student nurses and medical students. As a group, student nurses scored lower on the thanatophobia scale than pra cticing physicians and medical students. Higher scores on intolerance to clinical uncertainty were associated with higher thanatophobia scor es in all groups. Scores for depressed mood, decreased sensitivity, an d Machiavellianism were statistically significant predictors in some g roups. Higher thanatophobia scores also predicted lower scores for rat ings of self-esteem in caring for elderly patients. Among senior medic al students, those with lower thanatophobia scores tended to enter pri mary care residencies. Health professional educators may find this sca le helpful both in pinpointing sources of caregivers' angst and useful in counseling students in management of terminally ill persons.