Death Discomfort Differential

Triplett, George; Cohen, David; Reimer, Wilbert; Rinaldi, Sharon A.; Hill, C. J.; Roshdieh, Simin; Stanczak, Elizabeth M.; Siscoe, Karen; Templer, Donald I.

doi:10.2190/dqcp-pm99-uhhw-b1p7

Cited by 28 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…We used the single dimension, 15-item Templer (1970) Death Anxiety Scale (Sample item: I am very much afraid to die [item #1]), a widely used scale of death anxiety (e.g., Arikawa, Templer, Brown, Cannon, & Thomas-Dodson, 1999;Gantsweg, 2002;Triplett et al, 1995). Six items were reverse-scored so that higher scores on the scale indicated greater death anxiety.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender differences in death anxiety and religious orientation among US high school and college students

Pierce

Cohen

Chambers

et al. 2007

Mental Health, Religion & Culture

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Women report both a higher death anxiety and extrinsic religiosity than men, but it is unknown why. Research has not previously linked these findings. We provide two alternative theoretical models of causal links: (a) women's higher death anxiety promotes extrinsic religiosity or (b) women's higher extrinsic religiosity promotes greater death anxiety. High school and college students in the United States (118 young men and 257 young women) completed Templer's (1970) Death Anxiety Scale and the intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity subscales of Allport and Ross' (1967) Religious Orientation Scale. Women reported significantly higher levels of death anxiety and extrinsic religiosity. Gender differences in extrinsic religiosity were partially explainable by gender differences in death anxiety. Also, gender differences in death anxiety could partially be explained by gender differences in extrinsic religiosity. This provides future research with some direction in the link between gender, religious orientation, and death anxiety. It also underscores recent arguments that religious motivations vary between cultures and groups.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender differences in death anxiety and religious orientation among US high school and college students

Pierce

Cohen

Chambers

et al. 2007

Mental Health, Religion & Culture

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“…It is well known that religious people have a strong belief in afterlife (Klenow & Bolin, 1989). Some studies that tend to support this concept indicate that individuals who have stronger religious convictions and attachment and are certain of a life after death have lower fear of death (Florian & Kravetz, 1983;Jeffers, Nichols, & Eisdorfer, 1961;Koenig, 1988;Templer, 1972;Thorson & Powell, 1989Triplett et al, 1995;Young & Daniels, 1980). Some studies that tend to support this concept indicate that individuals who have stronger religious convictions and attachment and are certain of a life after death have lower fear of death (Florian & Kravetz, 1983;Jeffers, Nichols, & Eisdorfer, 1961;Koenig, 1988;Templer, 1972;Thorson & Powell, 1989Triplett et al, 1995;Young & Daniels, 1980).…”

Section: Religiositymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some studies that tend to support this concept indicate that individuals who have stronger religious convictions and attachment and are certain of a life after death have lower fear of death (Florian & Kravetz, 1983;Jeffers, Nichols, & Eisdorfer, 1961;Koenig, 1988;Templer, 1972;Thorson & Powell, 1989Triplett et al, 1995;Young & Daniels, 1980). Several researchers note that using only unidimensional measures cannot capture the confounding relationship between variables (Florian & Kravetz, 1983;Kastenbaum, 1992;Triplett et al, 1995;Williams, 1994). Cole (1978) reports a positive relationship and others report no significant relationship (McDonald, 1976;Templer & Dotson, 1970) or even a curvilinear pattern (McMordie, 1981).…”

Section: Religiositymentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Related to Attitudes Toward Death among American and Chinese Older Adults

Lin

2003

Omega (Westport)

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This study examines the relationship between five dimensions of attitude toward death (fear of death, death avoidance, neutral acceptance of death, approach acceptance of death, and escape acceptance of death) and three selected personal factors (spirituality, emotional support, and religiosity) among American and Chinese older adults. A total of 178 older adults consisting of 91 Americans living in Columbus, Ohio, and surrounding suburban areas, and 87 Chinese living in Taipei, Taiwan, participated in this study. Among Americans, the results reveal that spirituality influences both fear and avoidance of death attitudes, and that spirituality and religiosity contribute to both approach acceptance and escape acceptance of death attitudes. Among Chinese, spirituality influences fear of death attitudes and religiosity influences approach acceptance of death attitudes. For both American and Chinese subjects, neutral acceptance death attitude is not influenced by any selected personal factors and emotional support fails to demonstrate a significant relationship with any death attitude. American and Chinese older adults derive their spirituality in different ways, and their respective religious faiths contribute differently to their attitudes toward death. However, this study clearly indicates that, despite cultural differences, both populations demonstrate that spirituality factor influences the negative dimensions of death attitudes (fear of death and avoidance of death) and the religiosity factor influences the positive dimension of death attitude (acceptance of death). 3Since 1960, the studies of death attitudes have addressed relationships with several different variables. Among those variables, religiosity, spirituality, and FACTORS RELATED TO ATTITUDES TOWARD DEATH / 5

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“…This construct incorporates elements of both death anxiety (death-related fear, obsessiveness, nervousness, arousal) and death depression (death-related feelings of sadness, dread, meaninglessness, lethargy). 13 Its importance is reflected in the literature on the negative health effects of depression and anxiety in general, 11,12,14 and debilitating death-related fears have consistently emerged as common responses to life-threatening medical illness. 15,16 In our hypothesized model, we expected that death distress would be associated with psychosocial ± spiritual constructs, including social support, spiritual well-being, and generalized depression and anxiety.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychosocial— spiritual correlates of death distress in patients with life-threatening medical conditions

Chibnall¹,

Videen²,

Duckro

et al. 2002

Palliat Med

110

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The purpose of this study was to identify demographic, disease, health care, and psychosocial-spiritual factors associated with death distress (death-related depression and anxiety). Cross-sectional baseline data from a randomized controlled trial were used. Outpatients (n=70) were recruited from an urban academic medical centre and proprietary hospital. All patients had life-threatening medical conditions, including cancer; pulmonary, cardiac, liver, or kidney disease; HIV/AIDS; or geriatric frailty. Measures of death distress, physical symptom severity, depression and anxiety symptoms, spiritual well-being, social support, patient-perceived physician communication, and patient-perceived quality of health care experiences were administered. In a hierarchical multiple regression model, higher death distress was significantly associated with living alone, greater physical symptom severity, more severe depression symptoms, lower spiritual well-being, and less physician communication as perceived by the patient. Death distress as a unique experiential construct was discriminable among younger patients with specific, diagnosable life-threatening conditions, but less so among geriatric frailty patients. The findings suggest that the experience of death distress among patients with life-threatening medical conditions is associated with the psychosocial-spiritual dimensions of the patient's life. Attention to these dimensions may buffer the negative affects of death distress.

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Death Discomfort Differential

Cited by 28 publications

References 8 publications

Gender differences in death anxiety and religious orientation among US high school and college students

Gender differences in death anxiety and religious orientation among US high school and college students

Factors Related to Attitudes Toward Death among American and Chinese Older Adults

Psychosocial— spiritual correlates of death distress in patients with life-threatening medical conditions

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