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Positive and negative changes following occupational death exposure
P Alex Linley1, Stephen Joseph
1School of Psychology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom. PAL8@le.ac.uk
Journal of Traumatic Stress
|December 31, 2005
Summary
Funeral directors experience both positive and negative psychological changes. Positive changes are linked to accepting death attitudes and social support, while negative changes relate to death fear and exposure.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Occupational Health
- Traumatic Stress Research
Background:
- Traumatic stress research has focused on professionals exposed to death.
- Positive psychological changes in these professionals remain under-researched.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate occupational death exposure and its association with psychological changes in funeral directors.
- To examine the roles of death attitudes, appraisals, social support, and affect in these changes.
Main Methods:
- Multivariate hierarchical regression analyses were employed.
- Data collected on occupational death exposure, death attitudes, subjective appraisals, intrusions, avoidance, social support, and affect.
Main Results:
- Positive psychological changes were predicted by approach acceptance death attitudes and social support.
- Negative psychological changes were predicted by fear of death, intrusions, avoidance, and occupational death exposure.
Conclusions:
- Findings extend understanding of occupational death exposure's impact.
- Highlights the importance of death attitudes and social support for positive adaptation.
- Identifies specific factors contributing to negative changes, informing future research and support strategies.