Table 5.

Distribution of the qualitative data related to unbearable symptoms over categories of suffering in patients with and without an explicit request for euthanasia (n = 60)

	Explicit request (n = 17)		No explicit request (n = 43)
Category of suffering	Patients in whom the category of suffering was present % (n)	Number in which the category of suffering occurred per patient* Mean (SD)	Patients in whom the category of suffering was present % (n)	Number in which the category of suffering occurred per patient* Mean (SD)	p-value of t-test for means
Physical suffering	76 (13)	3.0 (2.3)	72 (31)	2.8 (2.7)	0.752
Loss of meaning	88 (15)	2.6 (2.0)	65 (28)	2.4 (2.8)	0.843
Loss of autonomy	76 (13)	1.9 (1.9)	49 (21)	1.6 (1.1)	0.571
Loss of dignity	35 (6)	0.8 (1.9)	42 (18)	1.6 (2.0)	0.847
Experience to be a burden to others	41 (7)	0.5 (0.7)	21 (9)	0.3 (0.5)	0.168
Loss of sexual role	0 (0)	0.0 (0.0)	5 (2)	0.05 (0.2)	0.374
Fear of future suffering	18 (3)	0.2 (0.4)	14 (6)	0.3 (0.7)	0.644
Anxiety	6 (1)	0.1 (0.2)	19 (8)	0.3 (0.8)	0.078
Death anxiety	6 (1)	0.1 (0.5)	0 (0)	0.0 (0.0	0.332
Depressive thoughts	6 (1)	0.1 (0.2)	7 (3)	0.1 (0.3)	0.881
Worrying	6 (1)	0.1 (0.2)	19 (8)	0.2 (0.5)	0.087
Feeling tensed	6 (1)	0.1 (0.2)	7 (3)	0.1 (0.3)	0.881
Hopelessness	6 (1)	0.1 (0.2)	7 (3)	0.1 (0.3)	0.881
Pointlessness	6 (1)	0.2 (1.0)	5 (2)	0.1 (0.5)	0.548

The SOS-V was missing in four patients.

*Only equal ratings were used for analysis.