Social, cultural and experiential patterning of attitudes and behaviour towards assisted suicide in Switzerland: evidence from a national population-based study
Switzerland has the longest history of the legal practice of non-physician assisted suicide of any country. Assisted suicide is not very tightly regulated in Switzerland, and almost all assisted suicides are supported by a right-to-die organisation. Our study investigates older adults’ attitudes a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SMW supporting association (Trägerverein Swiss Medical Weekly SMW)
2020-07-01
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| Series: | Swiss Medical Weekly |
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| Online Access: | https://www.smw.ch/index.php/smw/article/view/2816 |
| _version_ | 1797974820050173952 |
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| author | Sarah Vilpert Elio Bolliger Carmen Borrat-Besson Gian Domenico Borasio Jürgen Maurer |
| author_facet | Sarah Vilpert Elio Bolliger Carmen Borrat-Besson Gian Domenico Borasio Jürgen Maurer |
| author_sort | Sarah Vilpert |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Switzerland has the longest history of the legal practice of non-physician assisted suicide of any country. Assisted suicide is not very tightly regulated in Switzerland, and almost all assisted suicides are supported by a right-to-die organisation. Our study investigates older adults’ attitudes and behaviour towards assisted suicide, and the associations of these with the individuals’ sociodemographic and cultural characteristics, as well as with their own health status and healthcare-related experiences in Switzerland. We performed weighted prevalence and multivariable logistic regression estimation on a nationally representative sample of adults aged 55 and over from wave 6 (2015) of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) in Switzerland (n = 2168). Overall, 81.7% of respondents supported the legality of assisted suicide, as is currently the case in Switzerland, and 60.9% stated that they would potentially consider asking for assisted suicide under certain circumstances; 28.2% of respondents reported either that they are already or that they are likely to become a member of a right-to-die organisation, with 4.9% of respondents reporting to already be a member of such an organisation at the time of the survey. Higher levels of education and previous experience as a healthcare proxy were positively associated with more favourable attitudes and behaviour towards assisted suicide. Compared to individuals aged 55–64, adults aged 65–74 generally showed more favourable attitudes and behaviour towards assisted suicide. By contrast, religious persons displayed more negative attitudes and behaviour towards assisted suicide. Attitudes towards assisted suicide were also more negative in the oldest age group (75+) in comparison to adults aged 55–64, and among persons living in French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland compared to those living in German-speaking Switzerland. While approval for assisted suicide is high overall in Switzerland, more vulnerable population groups, such as older or less educated individuals, have less favourable attitudes towards assisted suicide. In addition, cultural sensitivities to and personal experiences with death and dying are likely to shape the approval or rejection of assisted suicide as it is currently implemented in Switzerland.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T04:25:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3099c797a141457c95838c134e061222 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-3997 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T04:25:45Z |
| publishDate | 2020-07-01 |
| publisher | SMW supporting association (Trägerverein Swiss Medical Weekly SMW) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Swiss Medical Weekly |
| spelling | doaj.art-3099c797a141457c95838c134e0612222022-12-29T16:02:44ZengSMW supporting association (Trägerverein Swiss Medical Weekly SMW)Swiss Medical Weekly1424-39972020-07-01150252610.4414/smw.2020.20275Social, cultural and experiential patterning of attitudes and behaviour towards assisted suicide in Switzerland: evidence from a national population-based studySarah Vilpert0Elio Bolliger1Carmen Borrat-Besson2Gian Domenico Borasio3Jürgen Maurer4Faculty of Biology and Medicine (FBM), University of Lausanne, and Swiss Centre of Expertise in the Social Sciences (FORS), Lausanne, SwitzerlandFaculty of Business and Economics (HEC), University of Lausanne, SwitzerlandSwiss Centre of Expertise in the Social Sciences (FORS), Lausanne, SwitzerlandPalliative and Supportive Care Service, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, SwitzerlandFaculty of Business and Economics (HEC), University of Lausanne, Switzerland Switzerland has the longest history of the legal practice of non-physician assisted suicide of any country. Assisted suicide is not very tightly regulated in Switzerland, and almost all assisted suicides are supported by a right-to-die organisation. Our study investigates older adults’ attitudes and behaviour towards assisted suicide, and the associations of these with the individuals’ sociodemographic and cultural characteristics, as well as with their own health status and healthcare-related experiences in Switzerland. We performed weighted prevalence and multivariable logistic regression estimation on a nationally representative sample of adults aged 55 and over from wave 6 (2015) of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) in Switzerland (n = 2168). Overall, 81.7% of respondents supported the legality of assisted suicide, as is currently the case in Switzerland, and 60.9% stated that they would potentially consider asking for assisted suicide under certain circumstances; 28.2% of respondents reported either that they are already or that they are likely to become a member of a right-to-die organisation, with 4.9% of respondents reporting to already be a member of such an organisation at the time of the survey. Higher levels of education and previous experience as a healthcare proxy were positively associated with more favourable attitudes and behaviour towards assisted suicide. Compared to individuals aged 55–64, adults aged 65–74 generally showed more favourable attitudes and behaviour towards assisted suicide. By contrast, religious persons displayed more negative attitudes and behaviour towards assisted suicide. Attitudes towards assisted suicide were also more negative in the oldest age group (75+) in comparison to adults aged 55–64, and among persons living in French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland compared to those living in German-speaking Switzerland. While approval for assisted suicide is high overall in Switzerland, more vulnerable population groups, such as older or less educated individuals, have less favourable attitudes towards assisted suicide. In addition, cultural sensitivities to and personal experiences with death and dying are likely to shape the approval or rejection of assisted suicide as it is currently implemented in Switzerland. https://www.smw.ch/index.php/smw/article/view/2816assisted suicideattitudes and behaviourpopulation-based studyolder adultsSwitzerlandSHARE study |
| spellingShingle | Sarah Vilpert Elio Bolliger Carmen Borrat-Besson Gian Domenico Borasio Jürgen Maurer Social, cultural and experiential patterning of attitudes and behaviour towards assisted suicide in Switzerland: evidence from a national population-based study Swiss Medical Weekly assisted suicide attitudes and behaviour population-based study older adults Switzerland SHARE study |
| title | Social, cultural and experiential patterning of attitudes and behaviour towards assisted suicide in Switzerland: evidence from a national population-based study |
| title_full | Social, cultural and experiential patterning of attitudes and behaviour towards assisted suicide in Switzerland: evidence from a national population-based study |
| title_fullStr | Social, cultural and experiential patterning of attitudes and behaviour towards assisted suicide in Switzerland: evidence from a national population-based study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social, cultural and experiential patterning of attitudes and behaviour towards assisted suicide in Switzerland: evidence from a national population-based study |
| title_short | Social, cultural and experiential patterning of attitudes and behaviour towards assisted suicide in Switzerland: evidence from a national population-based study |
| title_sort | social cultural and experiential patterning of attitudes and behaviour towards assisted suicide in switzerland evidence from a national population based study |
| topic | assisted suicide attitudes and behaviour population-based study older adults Switzerland SHARE study |
| url | https://www.smw.ch/index.php/smw/article/view/2816 |
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