Background: Little is known about care providers’ attitudes towards suicide and physician-assisted suicide.
Aim: In the context of possible future legalization of medical aid in dying in Sweden, it is essential to examine attitudes towards “suicide as a right” and physician-assisted suicide among care staff working in home- and long-term care.
Method: Staff from facilities in the western part of Sweden participated in a survey about attitudes towards suicide. They anonymously completed the “Attitudes Towards Suicide” (ATTS) questionnaire, which measures various perceptions and attitudinal dimensions. Responses were noted on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.” Proportions are aggregated for responses “strongly agree” and “agree”. Data from the “suicide as a right” subscale as well as a question on physician-assisted suicide are shown here.
Results: Preliminary results are based on data from staff (n=114) in two municipalities. Over half (57%) were aged 45+, 90% were women and 88% were nursing assistants. One quarter agreed to the statement “people do have the right to take their own lives”. A similar proportion agreed to “suicide is an acceptable means to terminate an incurable disease” and 18% to “there may be situations where the only reasonable resolution is suicide”. Nearly two thirds responded positively to ”I can understand that people suffering from a severe, incurable disease commit suicide” as well as “a person suffering from a severe, incurable disease expressing wishes to die should get help to do so”. Further, 28% responded positively to the statement “I would consider the possibility of taking my life if I were to suffer from a severe, incurable disease” and 39% to “I would like to get help to take my life if I were to suffer from severe, incurable, disease”. When asked if “physician-assisted suicide for should be legalized in Sweden”, 27% responded either “in all cases” or “in almost all cases”.
Conclusion: While almost two-thirds of long-term care staff agreed that they understand that people with severe disease take their lives and that these individuals should get help to die, only one quarter actually supported the legalization of physician-assisted suicide in Sweden. Findings reflect the gap between opinions, preparedness to act and law, demonstrating the complexity of these issues.