Death Concern and Attitudes toward the Elderly in Nursing Home Personnel as a Function of Training

DePaola, Stephen J.; Neimeyer, Roberta; Ross, Stephanie K.

doi:10.2190/t0ly-w07y-vvx0-nmap

Cited by 14 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Research in younger populations has suggested a positive association between personal death anxiety and prejudiced attitudes toward older adults, as well as specific fears of one's own aging (DaPaola et al, 1992;DePaola, Neimeyer, & Ross, 1994). Because vulnerable groups sometimes internalize the negative attitudes held about them, we were interested in whether there was evidence of negative attitudes to older adults within this very population and, if so, how this might be related to personal death attitudes.…”

Section: Limitations Of Previous Researchmentioning

confidence: 92%

Death Anxiety and Attitudes Towardthe Elderly Among Older Adults: The Role of Gender and Ethnicity

et al. 2003

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The article investigated the relationship between death anxiety, attitudes toward older adults, and personal anxiety toward one's own aging in a group of 197 older men and women. As predicted, negative attitudes toward other older adults were predicted by personal anxieties about aging and death, and, more specifically, fear of the unknown. In addition, several distinctive anxieties were noted for particular subgroups of respondents. Older women scored higher on the Fear of the Dead subscale of the Multidimensional Fear of Death Scale (MFODS) than did men. Caucasian participants displayed higher Fear of the Dying Process than did older African American participants. Lastly, older African American participants reported higher levels of death anxiety on 3 of the subscales of the Multidimensional Fear of Death Scale (Fear of the Unknown, Fear of Conscious Death, and Fear for the Body after Death) when compared with older Caucasian participants and also tended to accord less social value to the elderly. These findings are interpreted in terms of patterns of socialization, and their implications for end-of-life care preferences are noted.

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Section: Limitations Of Previous Researchmentioning

confidence: 92%

Death Anxiety and Attitudes Towardthe Elderly Among Older Adults: The Role of Gender and Ethnicity

et al. 2003

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“…A growing body of literature indicates that such professionals with lower death anxiety may provide higher quality care (DePaola, Neimeyer, & Ross, 1994;Vickio & Cavenaugh, 1985). The topic of death anxiety has become a high priority issue for the education of health professionals (DowneWamboldt & Tamlyn, 1997).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Levels of Death Anxiety: A Comparison of American and Lithuanian Health and Social Service Personnel

et al. 2006

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Globalization, coupled with increased attention to issues surrounding death, highlights the need to explore cultural influences on the social, personal, and psychological consequences of death. This study compared the responses of 82 American and 119 Lithuanian health and social service personnel on seven subscales of the Multidimensional Fear of Death Scale. Lithuanian participants were more likely to express fear of the dying process and fear of the unknown and were less likely to fear the dead than were Americans. The findings suggest that different historical and environmental experiences with death may influence anxiety about various dimensions of death. Cultural differences in the dimensions of death anxiety among health and social service providers in the two nations suggest the importance of differential training based on specific cultural knowledge to improve the quality of care.

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“…The survey-type studies either measured bereavement or grief in relation to a resident in a nursing home (Lesher and Bergey 1988;Pruchno et al 1995) or measured the effect of having a family member in a nursing home on the bereavement experience (Herth 1990;Moss et al 1993;Rudd, Viney, and Preston 1999;Carr et al 2001). Hanson, Danis, and Garrett (1997), Murphy, Hanrahan, and Luchins (1997), and Tolle et al (2000) analyzed the quality of bereavement services in nursing homes, whereas Robbins et al (1992), DePaola, Neimeyer, and Ross (1994), Sumaya-Smith (1995), andLopez McCurdy (1999) measured the effect of working in a nursing home on staff. Findings suggest that losses are hidden in relation to method, but in relation to the review of quantitative research, there was less diversity, a bias toward death, acknowledgement of complexity, a need to focus on wider perspectives, and an apparent focus on emotional response.…”

Section: Findings From Survey Type Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Complexity of Loss in Continuing Care Institutions for Older People: A Review of the Literature

Holman

Meyer

Cotter

2004

Illness, Crisis & Loss

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This article analyzes the findings of a literature review undertaken on loss in continuing care institutions. It suggests that research undertaken in continuing care institutions, such as care homes, ignores the complexity and multiplicity of loss, depending on the methodological approach taken (e.g., qualitative field methods, survey research and intervention studies). It argues that different methodological approaches fragment and hide some aspect of loss in these settings. For instance, some methods capture the individual emotional component, while others focus solely on the social dynamic. This fragmentation and hiding of aspects of loss makes research findings of limited value to those working in practice. The article concludes that future studies need to be aware of these tendencies, in order to uncover new meanings of loss more appropriate to the continuing care setting.

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Death Concern and Attitudes toward the Elderly in Nursing Home Personnel as a Function of Training

Cited by 14 publications

References 43 publications

Death Anxiety and Attitudes Towardthe Elderly Among Older Adults: The Role of Gender and Ethnicity

Death Anxiety and Attitudes Towardthe Elderly Among Older Adults: The Role of Gender and Ethnicity

Levels of Death Anxiety: A Comparison of American and Lithuanian Health and Social Service Personnel

The Complexity of Loss in Continuing Care Institutions for Older People: A Review of the Literature

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