Predicting Performance and Persistence in Hospice Volunteers

In a group of 75 prospective hospice volunteers, screened and accepted for training, those rated as performing satisfactorily differed significantly from those rated as performing unsatisfactorily or those who dropped out six months after completion of training. Discriminant function analysis indicated that a function consisting of death anxiety, tolerance, and flexibility significantly differentiated the three groups of volunteers. The satisfactory persisters demonstrated lower death anxiety, higher tolerance, and more moderate flexibility than unsatisfactory persisters or dropouts. Fifty (67%) of the 75 cases were correctly classified. These findings suggest that the inclusion of personality measures in the screening procedure could be useful in the selection of hospice volunteers.