Attitudes Toward Living Farewells in Taiwan: An Exploratory Investigation of Death Preparation Practices

Abstract

Living farewells—ritualized pre-death gatherings enabling life review and relational closure—represent an emerging psychosocial practice in Asian palliative care, yet empirical evidence remains absent. This exploratory cross-sectional study (N = 165 Taiwanese adults) developed and validated a 25-item instrument assessing attitudes toward living farewells through exploratory factor analysis, identifying four dimensions: Positive Perceptions, Potential Concerns, Legal & Economic Considerations, and Leisure & Ritual Acceptance. Multiple regression revealed that positive perceptions of dignity and meaning-making benefits constituted the strongest predictor of willingness to host living farewells (β = .541, p < .001), while pragmatic concerns facilitated rather than inhibited engagement. Findings reflect attitudinal coherence rather than clinical outcomes, requiring longitudinal validation in terminally ill populations. Integrating Terror Management Theory with collectivistic cultural frameworks, this study advances thanatological research by demonstrating how indigenous Asian practices can inform evidence-based palliative care. This study provides the first quantitative foundation for incorporating culturally resonant end-of-life practices into evidence-based palliative care protocols.

Keywords

living farewells death attitudes terror management theory psychosocial intervention end-of-life preparation Asian death practices Taiwan

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