Death Acceptance in Cancer Patients

Death acceptance was assessed in 337 adult cancer patients who were starting to receive chemotherapy, and in 180 healthy controls. Although diagnosis of cancer and higher age are associated with a reduction of the average time left to live, these variables had differential associations with death acceptance. Higher age but not having cancer was associated with higher levels of death acceptance, and differences in death acceptance between patients and healthy control group members were stronger in younger than in older participants. Within the patient sample, stronger physical impairments, male gender, having no long-term goals, and religiosity were related to higher levels of death acceptance. Across a nine-month interval, no changes in the mean level of death acceptance appeared. Nonetheless, younger patients with stronger physical impairments at T 1 showed a decline in death acceptance at T 2 . We conclude that reasons that make illness and mortality salient reduce death acceptance in younger patients, but not in older patients.