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Published on: August 5, 2020
Developing a death literacy index
Rosemary Leonard1, Kerrie Noonan1, Debbie Horsfall1
1School of Social Sciences, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia.
Abstract:
Performing end-of-life care can be a catalyst for developing a capacity called death literacy. This study aimed to develop a comprehensive and useable measure of death literacy that has the potential to assess interventions with individuals, communities, and societies. Using a mixed methods approach, a Death Literacy Index was developed from personal narratives and input from practitioners and experts. Refined on a sample of 1330 Australians using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, a 29-item Death Literacy Index was found to be reliable and demonstrated construct validity. Further studies are needed to test predictive validity.
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