{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,7]],"date-time":"2026-10-07T18:44:52Z","timestamp":1791398692579,"version":"4.3.3"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,3]],"date-time":"2025-08-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1754179200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"funder":[{"name":"Mayo Clinic Department of Psychiatry and Psychology"},{"name":"The Kern National Network for Flourishing in Medicine"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Am J Hosp Palliat Care"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,8]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Fundamental to medical education, gross anatomy first introduces medical students to human mortality, often provoking stress. Sense of purpose, a key aspect of well-being, may serve as a protective factor. We studied students\u2019 sense of purpose during an anatomy course, examining its links to performance, spirituality, and belief in an afterlife. Fifty medical students who took a 7-week gross anatomy course in 2022 or 2023 completed the Life Engagement Test at the beginning, middle, and end of the course. We collected other data including demographics, religious\/spiritual beliefs, and previous exposure to body donors. Practical and final examinations assessed course performance. Strong sense of purpose at the three measurement points was positively correlated with practical exam performance (r = 0.40,\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">P<\/jats:italic>\n                    = .004; r = 0.44,\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">P<\/jats:italic>\n                    = .003; r = 0.30,\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">P<\/jats:italic>\n                    = .047, respectively) but not National Board of Medical Examiners\u2019 anatomy subject exam performance. Staunch believers and non-believers in an afterlife maintained a stable sense of purpose, while students uncertain about the afterlife experienced a decline from the beginning to the middle of the course and even more to the end (\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">P<\/jats:italic>\n                    = .046;\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">P<\/jats:italic>\n                    = .008, respectively). These students also had significantly lower practical examination performance as compared to other students (95% CI [\u221210.84, \u22120.52]). In conclusion, a strong sense of purpose predicts better performance in a 7-week anatomy course. Both believers and non-believers in an afterlife do well, but students wavering in their beliefs experience a declining sense of purpose and lower grades. Supporting these students when they confront human mortality, including in other contexts such as palliative care\/hospice settings, may be beneficial.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/10499091251362441","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,4]],"date-time":"2025-08-04T03:58:28Z","timestamp":1754279908000},"page":"842-850","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Confronting Mortality in the Anatomy Laboratory: Effects on Medical Students\u2019 Sense of Purpose"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"43","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7379-058X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elizabeth K.","family":"Farkouh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-1110-3046","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jayant A.","family":"Gupta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1014-3393","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ian M.","family":"Michel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0444-6339","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Punnose K.","family":"Kattil","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wojciech","family":"Pawlina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"J. 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