Caring for dying people: attitudes among Iranian and Swedish nursing students

To compare the attitudes of Iranian and Swedish nursing students toward caring for dying persons.

Their attitudes were measured with the Frommelt's Attitude Toward Caring of the Dying and the Death Attitude Profile Revised.

The results indicated that the participating Iranian students were more afraid of death and less likely to give care to dying persons than the Swedish participants.

It is suggested that theoretical education should be individualized and culturally sensitive in order to positively influence the students' attitudes, and promote professional development.