Correlates of End of Life Planning Across Life Span in Nairobi County, Kenya

Stephen Asatsa, Ph.D., Catholic University of Eastern Africa

Abstract

End of life planning is an important process towards quality of dying for all, yet it remains skewed towards the terminally ill. Prior planning and preparation for one’s own death has been shown to improve psychological well-being towards end of life. The continued conceptualization of end of life planning in terms of palliative care leaves out a large percentage of the general population which compromises the quality of dying. This study examined demographic factors and death attitudes as correlates of end of life planning in the general population in Nairobi, Kenya. The study adopted the correlational research design and targeted young adults, middle-aged adults, and seniors with a sample of 310 participants selected using multistage and stratified sampling techniques. Data was collected using the Death Attitude Profile-Revised and End of Life Pertinent Issues Questionnaire and analyzed using univariate analysis and Pearson correlation. The study found significant demographic differences in end of life planning in terms of age, religion, income levels and marital status. The findings further indicated significant correlation among various death attitudes and end of life planning domains. The results of this study imply that mental health practitioners need to address negative death attitudes in order to enhance end of life planning in the general population.

Keywords: End of Life Planning, death attitudes, palliative care, quality dying