[01] Vishalini a/p Ravichandran, Faculty of Medicine, Melaka Manipal Medical College (Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE)), Melaka, Malaysia. [02] Han Min Siew, Faculty of Medicine, Melaka Manipal Medical College (Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE)), Melaka, Malaysia. [03] Lau Chun Teck, Faculty of Medicine, Melaka Manipal Medical College (Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE)), Melaka, Malaysia. [04] Darshan a/l Sathish, Faculty of Medicine, Melaka Manipal Medical College (Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE)), Melaka, Malaysia. [05] Shavenea Ravisha, Faculty of Medicine, Melaka Manipal Medical College (Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE)), Melaka, Malaysia.

Introduction; Euthanasia, i.e. mercy killing, is a highly controversial topic and has grown remarkably over the past decade particularly with rapid medical advancement and the growing population of aging society. Objective; to study the factors affecting attitudes of medical students on euthanasia in Melaka Manipal Medical College. Methods; A pre-validated questionnaire based analytical cross-sectional design was used to conduct this research. The questionnaires were distributed to medical students in Semester 6, 7 and 8. 211 participants have answered the questionnaire. Attitude towards euthanasia were assessed in 5-point Likert Scale namely: 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = undecided, 4 = agree, and 5 = strongly agree with case scenarios. Results; The mean score for attitude towards Euthanasia is 26.8 ± 6.4 (range from 10 to 43). There is significant positive correlation between empathy and attitude towards euthanasia (r=0.25 p=0.002.). As for religiosity, Non-Organizational Religious Activity there is significant positive correlation with attitude towards euthanasia (r=0.14, p=0.024). The next subscale under religiosity is Intrinsic Religiosity which has positive significant relation to attitude towards euthanasia (r=0.14, p=0.028). Conclusion; This study shows that empathy and religiosity play significant roles in attitude towards euthanasia.

Attitude, Euthanasia, Medical Students, Survey

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