Attitudes of mental health workers toward euthanasia and assisted suicide: a knowledge synthesis
This knowledge synthesis provides an overview of published studies on the attitudes of mental health workers towards euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. A search of the Medline, PsycInfo, and Embase databases located eleven articles that met the inclusion criteria and form the basis of this review. The results show that mental health workers generally have positive attitudes towards euthanasia and assisted suicide, with slightly more favorable attitudes toward physician-assisted suicide than toward euthanasia. Several studies showed a negative correlation between religious commitment and attitudes toward euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, as well as a negative correlation reflecting experience with professionals. The relationship between attitudes and other personal characteristics (e.g., gender, age, education) is not consistent across studies. Specific methodological issues must be considered in interpreting the results, including differences in the definitions and terminology used, as well as in the way questions are formulated. The link between personal experiences and attitudes toward euthanasia or assisted suicide should be the subject of future research.