Death-related fears were significant in predicting responses to situations where avoidance was not an effective strategy. The uneasiness nurses report in work situations involving the dying is more than a simple reflection of the nurse's own fears. (Author)

One hundred-fifty near death experiencers (NDErs) and 43 individuals who had come close to death without having NDEs (nonNDErs) rated 12 antisuicidal attitudes. NDErs endorsed significantly more statements than did nonNDErs, and, among NDErs, number of statements endorsed was positively associated with depth of experience. Findings support…

Based on fieldwork conducted in Brittany, France, during 1983 and 1984, discusses changes in Breton responses to death which have accompanied modernization and economic development. Suggests that familiarity with death and acceptance of it are being replaced by the "denial of death" characteristic of contemporary Western culture. Notes…

Studied death anxiety in a sample of 210 Canadian nurses. Analysis indicated a significant inverse relationship between social desirability and death anxiety denial. No other significant relationships were found between social desirability and remaining Death Anxiety Scale factors. (Author/JAC)

The major research project analyzed 15 death scales completed by college students and results uncovered five orthogonal death-attitude factors, indicating that multiple death attitudes coexist and covary within individuals. An alternative analysis of the data suggests four scales measure general response to death. The original authors defend their…

Well-educated adults (n=26) were given metaphor inventory and discussed metaphors they chose as most closely reflecting their views of death. Three independent views of death were derived: negatively as barrier to life's meanings; ambivalently as essentially negative condition made acceptable by a variety of mitigating factors; and positively as a…

In this interview, Avery D. Weisman, M.D., distinguished contributor to study of human encounter with death, discusses personal and professional facets of his long and productive career. Includes review of his concepts of appropriate death and middle knowledge; and findings of Project Omega, clinical research study directed by Weisman for 18…

Begins with a theoretical elaboration of individualism. Argues its development is associated with an emergent death ideology emphasizing personal control. In two national samples attitudes toward suicide, abortion and the right to die scaled unidimensionally. Results indicated indices of individualism were the best predictors of position on this…

Examined the death orientations of Australian adults at different "distances" from death. Evaluated the performance of scales designed to measure cognitive and attitudinal components of death orientation. Found the Death Threat Index to be problematic. Results suggest death attitudes are idiosyncratic and only minimally affected by…

Assessed relationship between religiosity and attitudes toward suicide among 186 Christian adults. Found significant correlational pattern, such that persons higher on religiosity tended to perceive suicide as reflective of mental illness, less a cry for help, not individual's prerogative, highly related to lack of religious influence, abnormal…

Examined quantification of time remaining and perceived distance from death among 568 older men and women. A substantial proportion (49 percent) didn't quantify the remaining portion of life, and age did not prompt specification of time remaining. Demographic characteristics predicted perceived distance from death better than life changes or sex.…

Investigated the death concerns of high school students, persons in the work force, and a retired group. Combined responses indicate concern over losing persons cared for, making loved ones unhappy, taking a long time to die, and being helpless and dependent are central themes to all groups. Discussed differences. (Author/JAC)

Reviews and critiques existing theory and research on the issue of how attitudes and fears of death are influenced by recent bereavement. While the identification and validation of distinct stages of grief has demonstrated the powerful impact of death upon survivors, other research suggests that exposure to death does not alter one's attitudes or…

Collected data from six samples to develop final scale revision of Twenty Statements Test (R-TST) and investigate some of its psychometric properties. Data suggest that the R-TST is a useful instrument for measuring the multidimensionality of death attitudes and yields information on several death-related dimensions not assessed by other…

Analyzes mourning press announcements (MPA) published in the Hebrew press in twentieth-century Palestine and Israel. The MPA's evolution from its beginnings in the European Jewish press is reviewed, and the changing social context and characteristics of Israeli society are analyzed through the looking glass of the MPA. (CC)