| Many who are terminally ill spend their last remaining moments in a suboptimal psychological state. This has the potential to harm the dying, their loved ones, and social organizations important to them. It is not uncommon for the surviving to have difficulties at both work and personal life during a loved one's dying process. This can have negative social, economic, and psychological impacts. The purpose of this quantitative correlation study was to understand which factors terminally ill patients commonly experience that can explain the greatest variance in their degree of happiness and life satisfaction. The biopsychosocial theoretical framework served as the conceptual framework for the study. 89 terminally ill participants completed the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire (MQLQ) -- a questionnaire designed to assess terminally ill patients' degree of happiness/life satisfaction and common experiences related to one's physical condition, psychological state, feelings of meaning or existential topics/meaning of life issues, and social relationships. A hierarchical linear regression analysis was performed to answer the research question of which variables are most related to happiness. The results of the regression analyses indicated that only psychological condition was found to have a significant impact upon overall happiness. The most fundamental practical implication for positive social change is that this study could provide an added catalyst to reexamine how the psychological concerns and mental needs of dying persons are being addressed by health care and government agencies. Moreover, the results can promote for positive change by helping justify for insurance coverage and governmental aid to support for the psychological care of the terminally ill. |
