Volunteers’ initial motivations in a community-based end-of-life care programme and the associations with their eudaimonic well-being

Abstract

Volunteers are integral to the success of community-based end-of-life care (EoLC) programme. However, volunteers’ exposure to death may affect their well-being and retention. This study investigated volunteers’ motivation to join EoLC teams, and their eudaimonic well-being. The self-determination theory (SDT) framed the analysis. A self-administered survey recorded demographics, the 30-item Chinese Version of the Volunteer Functions Inventory (C-VFI) and the 8-item Flourishing Scale (FS). Repeated measures analysis, MANOVA and multivariate regression models tested associations between motivation and eudaimonic well-being. Two hundred and eighty cases were applied for analysis. Eudaimonic well-being was positively associated with autonomous motivation and negatively associated with controlled motivation. To protect volunteers’ health, and optimise retention and EoLC service quality, volunteers’ motivations should be matched with tailored training and supports.