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

Abstract

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

Survey on Death and Dying in Hong Kong

“…But, the authors concluded that spirituality and religiosity were derived differently in the two cultures. The study did not examine gender differences (Lin, 2003).…”

Trust in God, Forgiveness by God, and Death Anxiety

“…For example, Lin (2003) focused solely on the relationship between a single item that assesses the degree of self-rated religiousness and fear of death. Unfortunately, researchers have known for some time that religion is a complex multidimensional phenomenon that can be measured in a number of ways (Fetzer Institute/National Institute on Aging Working Group, 1999).…”

Culture, Perception/Belief about Death and their Implication to the Awareness and Control of the Socio-Economic, Environmental and Health Factors Surrounding Lower Life Expectancy in Nigeria

“…Meanwhile in modern time, death seems to give people the chance to die serenely and calm by comparing to the past when people died in torment and pain [18]. Kellehear [19] argues that there is a model of good death, which people aspire to in contemporary times especially, in Western societies.…”

“…As death is now, it is much less likely for the young, instead becoming a remote occurrence, the dying are also pushed further behind the screens, are isolated. Aries and Elias agree on the move to an isolated and invisible death.Meanwhile in modern time, death seems to give people the chance to die serenely and calm by comparing to the past when people died in torment and pain [18]. Kellehear [19] argues that there is a model of good death, which people aspire to in contemporary times especially, in Western societies.…”