Publication Date

Spring 2026

Document Type

Student Project

First Advisor

Valle-Luján, Ibette

Second Advisor

Finkelstein, Lisa

Degree Name

B.A. (Bachelor of Arts)

Department

Department of Psychology

Abstract

Healthcare professionals face many challenges when communicating terminal illness prognoses for individuals. This responsibility to address a terminal prognosis is further complicated when communicating with Latine patients who may face multiple barriers within the healthcare system and whose cultural preferences influence end-of-life care planning (Carrion, 2010). For example, Latines are less likely to enroll in end-of-life (EOL) care services (e.g., hospice) (Barragan-Carrillo et al., 2022). As well as engage in end-of-life care planning than White Non-Latines (Shen et al., 2016). To understand this hesitancy towards EOL care options, this literature review aims to explore how terminally ill Latine and their families navigate the end-of-life options. With a focus on centering on the cultural values and behaviors of the impacted Latine community, this review explores factors that may explain how decision-making occurs when families consider care services, such as EOL. Twenty articles were collected from ProQuest, NIU, EBSCO, and PubMed databases from 2000-2025. Findings indicate that hesitancy toward EOL care is influenced by factors at the individual/familial (e.g., religion/spirituality, well-being) and system levels (i.e., trust/mistrust, and language preferences). Further, health literacy impacts both levels and may moderate the extent of resistance towards EOL services. We end with recommendations that highlight the importance of culturally sensitive communication for Latine patient decision-making.

Additional Files
Navigation_Cure Poster_Carbajal Hernandez.pdf (309 kB)
NIU CURE Poster: "Navigating End-of-life Decisions: Cultural Considerations for Latine Patients"

Suggested Citation

Carbajal-Hernandez, Michelle. (2026). "Navigating End-of-life Decisions: Cultural Considerations for Latine Patients." Honors Capstone

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