- This study correlates a Wish to Hasten Death with perceived meaning in life and aims to validate a Spanish version of a questionnaire for assessing a Desire to Hasten Death.
A Desire to Hasten Death may occur at any time during life, not necessary within the context of a depressive illness. It generally arises more frequently and intensely in patients with chronic illnesses or in advanced stages of illness, usually at times of great stress and suffering. Despite the importance of the moment of death in every person's life, the desire to hasten it has virtually not been studied from the patient's perspective.
Nor has much attention been given to the relationship between this desire and other attitudes and beliefs, such as the meaning life holds for the individual.This paper investigates the hypothesis that the Desire to Hasten Death is an expression of other attitudes that, until now, have not been sufficiently studied. One important dimension is the perceived "meaning of life" (Frankl), which can now be evaluated quantitatively with the use of well-validated research techniques.
