Gender differences in the intention to withhold life-sustaining treatments involving severe dementia for self and on behalf of parent or spouse

Table 3 Gender Differences in the Intention to Withhold LSTs involving Severe Dementia for Self and Self-others Differences (Mean, SD)

	Self			Self-parent differences²			Self-spouse differences²
LSTs to be withheld	Men (N = 38)	Women (N = 42)	Independent two-sample t-test¹	Men (N = 18)	Women (N = 24)	Independent two-sample t-test	Men (N = 15)	Women (N = 14)	Independent two-sample t-test
Enteral tube feeding as a means of ingesting food	2.78 (1.17)	3.36 (1.43)	p = 0.05	0.67 (1.19)*	0.54 (1.06)*	ns	0.50 (1.02)	0.60 (0.99)*	ns
Dialysis if have kidney failure	2.66 (1.19)	3.43 (1.36)	p = 0.01	0.60 (0.70)***	0.50 (0.78)**	ns	0.07 (0.83)	0.33 (1.05)	ns
To be intubated and utilizing a ventilator to breathe	3.23 (2.10)	3.90 (1.30)	p = 0.02	0.72 (1.02)***	0.75 (1.03)***	ns	0.07 (0.83)	0.20 (1.01)	ns
Undergo a tracheotomy If being intubated for a month and survival is not possible without a ventilator	3.50 (1.08)	4.12 (1.19)	p = 0.01	0.28 (0.75)	0.33 (0.64)*	ns	0.07 (0.73)	0.48 (0.74)*	ns
Undergo cardiopulmonary resuscitation if a cardiac arrest	3.65 (1.07)	4.07 (1.18)	ns	0.50 (0.79)**	0.08 (0.58)	p = 0.05	-0.07 (0.62)	-0.33 (0.72)	ns
Total scores	15.84 (4.91)	18.88 (5.60)	p = 0.01	-	-	-	-	-	-

1 Independent two-sample t-test was used to test gender differences
2 Pair-sample t-tests were used to test self-other differences by gender, and independent two-sample t-tests were used to test gender differences in self-other differences
* p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001

ISSN: 1472-684X