Conceptions of death in mentally retarded persons

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Cognitive Science
• Thanatology

Background:

• Understanding death is a complex cognitive process.
• Previous research has explored age-related comprehension of death.
• The cognitive development of mentally retarded individuals in relation to death understanding requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between cognitive development and the understanding of death in mentally retarded individuals.
• To determine if chronological age or cognitive level is a better predictor of death comprehension in this population.

Main Methods:

• Seventy-nine mentally retarded subjects (mean age 19.9 years, mean IQ 61.9) participated.
• Participants completed a series of Piagetian cognitive tasks.
• Interviews were conducted to assess their understanding of death using multiple measures.

Main Results:

• Chronological age showed no significant relationship with any measure of death understanding.
• Piagetian cognitive levels were significantly associated with a more realistic comprehension of death on three key measures.
• Higher cognitive development correlated with a more complex understanding of death.

Conclusions:

• Cognitive development, as assessed by Piagetian tasks, is a significant factor in how mentally retarded individuals comprehend death.
• Cognitive level is a more relevant predictor than chronological age for understanding death in this population.
• Findings suggest that interventions aimed at enhancing cognitive development may improve the understanding of death among the mentally retarded.