Personality factors and attitudes toward euthanasia in Iran: implications for end-of-life research and practice.

Abstract

This article reports on the relationship of personality and euthanasia attitudes. Results from a survey of 165 Iranian students showed that religiosity, honesty-humility, agreeableness, and extraversion were related to negative attitudes toward euthanasia, whereas openness was related to acceptance of euthanasia, with the unconventionality facet driving this relationship. Moreover, openness explained additional variance when added to a multivariate model containing religiosity and HEXACO factors. This study illustrates the possibility of accounting for variation beyond the traditional group level predictors of attitudes toward euthanasia and promoting future cross-cultural studies into personality and end-of-life issues and informing end-of-life conversations at the bedside.