Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/2440/79768
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Type: | Journal article |
Title: | Palliative medicine practitioners' views on the concept of depression in the palliative care setting |
Author: | Ng, F. Crawford, G. Chur-Hansen, A. |
Citation: | Journal of Palliative Medicine, 2013; 16(8):922-928 |
Publisher: | Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Publishers |
Issue Date: | 2013 |
ISSN: | 1096-6218 1557-7740 |
Statement of Responsibility: | Felicity Ng, Gregory B. Crawford and Anna Chur-Hansen |
Abstract: | Background: Despite its clinical importance in palliative care, depression remains an ambiguous concept. Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore how medical practitioners working in palliative care conceptualize depression in that setting. Design: Medical practitioners who attended a palliative medicine conference (N=185) were invited to respond to a questionnaire, which explored their views on the concept of depression in the palliative care context. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize responses, and comparison between groups was conducted using nonparametric statistics. Themes in free-text comments were identified. Results: Seventy-nine responses were obtained (response rate 43%). Depression was not a unified concept, but was generally considered to be an illness with psychological, spiritual, and existential causes. Respondents were more uncertain about depression being an illness in the palliative care setting compared with other settings, and were ambivalent about its causality. Treatment preferences leaned towards psychological interventions. Depression being different in the palliative care setting was a theme. It was considered to be more prevalent, different in quality, harder to define, and associated with greater barriers to diagnosis and treatment. Conceptual differences were associated with the respondents' area of work, work position, duration of practice, and previous mental health training. Conclusions: Depression in the palliative care setting is a variable concept for palliative medicine practitioners. The conceptual diversity and complexities of depression in this setting must be acknowledged and further explored in order to develop nuanced approaches in clinical practice and in research. |
Keywords: | Humans Palliative Care Statistics, Nonparametric Attitude of Health Personnel Depression Quality of Life Terminally Ill Australia New Zealand Female Male Surveys and Questionnaires Workforce |
Rights: | © Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. |
DOI: | 10.1089/jpm.2012.0502 |
Published version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2012.0502 |
Appears in Collections: | Aurora harvest 4 Psychiatry publications |
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hdl_79768.pdf | Published version | 153.24 kB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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