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What do death anxiety scales measure?
1Psychology Program, The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Pomona, NJ 08240-0195, USA. david@stockton.edu
Psychological Reports
|February 1, 2008
Summary
College students reported higher death anxiety regarding their own death compared to the death of others. This finding was consistent across two validated death anxiety scales.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Thanatology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Death anxiety is a significant aspect of the human experience.
- Understanding the nuances of death anxiety, such as personal versus other-related fears, is crucial in psychological research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between death anxiety scores and the fear of one's own death versus the death of others in a college student population.
- To examine the applicability of established death anxiety scales (Templer and Abdel-Khalek) in differentiating these fear dimensions.
Main Methods:
- A sample of 87 undergraduates (61 women, 26 men) with a mean age of 21.2 years (SD=3.4) participated.
- Participants completed death anxiety scales developed by Templer and by Abdel-Khalek.
- Statistical analyses were performed to correlate scale scores with self-reported fear of personal death and the death of others.
Main Results:
- Scores on both the Templer and Abdel-Khalek death anxiety scales showed a stronger association with college students' fear of their own death.
- The association between scale scores and fear related to the death of others was less pronounced.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest that current death anxiety measures may more effectively capture existential concerns related to personal mortality.
- Further research is warranted to explore the specific factors contributing to the differential fear of one's own death versus the death of others.
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