Stolz Erwin, Burkert Nathalie, Großschädl Franziska, Rásky Éva, Stronegger Willibald J, Freidl Wolfgang
Institute of Social Medicine and Epidemiology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
PLoS One. 2015 Apr 23;10(4):e0124320. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0124320. eCollection 2015.
Euthanasia remains a controversial topic in both public discourses and legislation. Although some determinants of acceptance of euthanasia and physician-assisted death have been identified in previous studies, there is still a shortage of information whether different forms of euthanasia are supported by the same or different sub-populations and whether authoritarian personality dispositions are linked to attitudes towards euthanasia.
A large, representative face-to-face survey was conducted in Austria in 2014 (n = 1,971). Respondents faced three scenarios of euthanasia and one of physician assisted death differing regarding the level of specificity, voluntariness and subject, requiring either approval or rejection: (1) abstract description of euthanasia, (2) abstract description of physician-assisted suicide, (3) the case of euthanasia of a terminally-ill 79-year old cancer patient, and (4) the case of non-voluntary, physician assisted death of a severely disabled or ill neonate. A number of potential determinants for rejection ordered in three categories (socio-demographic, personal experience, orientations) including authoritarianism were tested via multiple logistic regression analyses.
Rejection was highest in the case of the neonate (69%) and lowest for the case of the older cancer patient (35%). A consistent negative impact of religiosity on the acceptance across all scenarios and differential effects for socio-economic status, area of residence, religious confession, liberalism, and authoritarianism were found. Individuals with a stronger authoritarian personality disposition were more likely to reject physician-assisted suicide for adults but at the same time also more likely to approve of physician-assisted death of a disabled neonate.
Euthanasia in adults was supported by a partially different sub-population than assisted death of disabled neonates.
安乐死在公众讨论和立法中仍是一个有争议的话题。尽管先前的研究已经确定了一些接受安乐死和医生协助死亡的决定因素，但对于不同形式的安乐死是否得到相同或不同亚群体的支持，以及威权人格倾向是否与对安乐死的态度有关，仍然缺乏相关信息。
2014年在奥地利进行了一项大型、具有代表性的面对面调查（n = 1971）。受访者面对三种安乐死情景和一种医生协助死亡情景，这些情景在具体程度、自愿性和主体方面有所不同，要求受访者表示赞成或反对：（1）安乐死的抽象描述，（2）医生协助自杀的抽象描述，（3）一名79岁晚期癌症患者的安乐死案例，以及（4）一名严重残疾或患病新生儿的非自愿医生协助死亡案例。通过多元逻辑回归分析测试了分为三类（社会人口统计学、个人经历、取向）的一些拒绝的潜在决定因素，包括威权主义。
新生儿案例中的拒绝率最高（69%），老年癌症患者案例中的拒绝率最低（35%）。发现宗教信仰对所有情景下的接受度都有一致的负面影响，以及社会经济地位、居住地区、宗教信仰、自由主义和威权主义的差异影响。具有较强威权人格倾向个体更有可能拒绝成人的医生协助自杀，但同时也更有可能赞成残疾新生儿的医生协助死亡。
与残疾新生儿的协助死亡相比，成人安乐死得到了部分不同亚群体的支持。
