The relationship between death anxiety and attitudes toward the elderly among nursing staff

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between death anxiety and attitudes toward the elderly among nursing staff in nursing homes. Questionnaires were distributed to all 310 full-time nursing staff members in six nursing homes; 159 usable questionnaires (51 percent) were returned. The self-administered packet consisted of Templer's Death Anxiety Scale to determine high and low death anxiety groups. Palmore's Facts on Aging Quiz to identify positive or negative attitudes toward the elderly, and a self-developed demographic data questionnaire. A t-test was used to compare the mean attitude toward the elderly scores of the high and low death anxiety groups. Nursing staff with high levels of death anxiety had significantly more negative attitudes toward the elderly than nursing staff with low levels of death anxiety (t = 2.52; p. less than .01). A correlation coefficient was also used to analyze the relationship between death anxiety and attitudes toward the elderly for the entire study sample. The relationship was significant (r = -.21; p less than .007). Findings indicated no significant differences in death anxiety or attitudes toward the elderly when compared with various demographic variables.