. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 Dec 1.

Published in final edited form as: J Hosp Palliat Nurs. 2018 Dec;20(6):542–547. doi: 10.1097/NJH.0000000000000469

Table 2.

Studies of Dignity Therapy without Direct Measures of Effects on Family Members

Study	Sample	Findings

Quantitative studies

Bentley, et al., 2014¹⁴	Australian sample;	Pts felt DT would be helpful to family members during bereavement.
Bentley, et al., 2014¹⁴	29 pts diagnosed with motor neuron disease

Chochinov et al., 2005¹⁵	Canada and Australian sample;	81% of participants who completed DT felt it helped or would help family; this related to pts having increased sense of purpose and meaning and decreased sense of suffering, as well as increased will to live.
Chochinov et al., 2005¹⁵	100 terminally ill pts in hospital, nursing home or home

Chochinov et al., 2011¹⁶	Canada, Australia, and US sample;	Pts assigned to DT group (n=165) [compared to the client-centered care (n=136) or standard care group (140)] significantly more likely to report a change in how their family saw and treated them; reported DT would be helpful to family.
Chochinov et al., 2011¹⁶	441 pts receiving palliative care in hospital, hospice, or home

Hall et al., 2011¹⁷	UK sample;	Participants rated benefits of DT or taking part in the study (control group) at 1 week f/u and 4 week f/u. Effect sizes were medium (0.50) to large (0.80) for agreeing that DT had or would help their family at 1-week f/u (Cohen’s d= .62) and 4 week f/u (Cohen’s d= .88). No significant difference between control and intervention groups at either f/u.
Hall et al., 2011¹⁷	45 pts with advanced cancer

Montross et al., 2013¹⁸	US sample;	92% felt DT would help the family in the future.
Montross et al., 2013¹⁸	18 hospice staff who had referred a patient to DT	92% felt DT would help the family in the future.

Vergo et al., 2014¹⁹	US sample;	Of 9 pts who completed the study, 88% felt DT would be helpful to family.
Vergo et al., 2014¹⁹	15 pts with stage IV colorectal cancer

Qualitative study

Ho et al., 2013²⁰	16 older Chinese palliative care pts with cancer	Framework analysis of qualitative interviews
Related articles: Ho et al., 2013²⁸		Transgenerational unity (i.e. family connections) emerged as important theme; participants wanted to be closer to their family members. Closeness of family members provided a sense of spiritual connectedness.
Related articles: Ho et al., 2013²⁸		Pts had a great need to regain their identity within family context in order to heal from existential pain of dying.

Case studies

Avery & Savitz, 2011²¹	55 y/o man with severe mental illness	Pt reported DT allowed him to better communicate with his children. Adult children stated they “could now better understand their father.”

Lubarsky, et al., 2016²²	46 y/o man with history of alcohol use disorder	Pt felt DT helped bring him closer to family.