The living dead? Perception of persons in the unresponsive wakefulness syndrome in Germany compared to the USA.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The extent to which people ascribe mind to others has been shown to predict the extent to which human rights are conferred. Therefore, in the context of disorders of consciousness (DOC), mind ascription can influence end of life decisions. A previous US-American study indicated that participants ascribed even less mind to patients with unresponsive-wakefulness-syndrome (UWS) than to the dead. Results were explained in terms of implicit dualism and religious beliefs, as highly religious people ascribed least mind to UWS. Here, we addresses mind ascription to UWS patients in Germany.

Methods

We investigate the perception of UWS patients in a large German sample (N = 910) and compare the results to the previous US data, addressing possible cultural differences. We fu

SUBMITTER: Steppacher I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5822482 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature