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 |