Measuring death anxiety: Conceptual, psychometric, and factor-analytic aspects

Developed a brief, reliable, and valid questionnaire for measuring attitudes toward death and dying. In Stage 1, 4 groups of 30-82 yr old Ss (34 psychology and 27 gerontology graduate students, 25 senior-citizen-center attendees, and 14 nursing home residents) completed the Death Anxiety Questionnaire (DAQ), Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale, and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Depression Scale (a revised version of the Self-Rating Depression Scale). During Stage 2, results on these scales were cross-validated on a new sample of 70 gerontology students, and the Death Anxiety Scale and Death Concern Scale were also completed. Internal consistency of the DAQ was .83, and test-retest reliability was .87. No significant sex or age differences were found. A principal-components factor analysis suggested 4 independent dimensions of death anxiety: Fear of the Unknown, Fear of Suffering, Fear of Loneliness, and Fear of Personal Extinction. Recommendations for future research include an investigation of the degree to which scores on these 4 dimensions might differentiate sex, age, personality, affective, and diagnostic groups. (50 ref)