Research Article

The Effects of Nursing Students' Previous Death Experiences on Their Death Perceptions and Anxiety When Faced with The Death of Their Patients

Volume: 3 Number: 1 February 28, 2026
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The Effects of Nursing Students' Previous Death Experiences on Their Death Perceptions and Anxiety When Faced with The Death of Their Patients

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the relationship between nursing students' death experiences, perceptions of death, and death anxiety. Methods: The study was conducted in the nursing department of the university located in Türkiye. The study was completed with 672 in the population. Student descriptive information form and Death Anxiety Scale were used for the data. Before starting the research, Academic board permission, institutional permission from the study's institution, and Ethics Committee approval were obtained. Results: In the study, the mean score on the death anxiety scale was 64.02±15.01. It was determined that most students (61.6%) had experienced the death process before, as the loss of a close relative (70.5%), and felt the most sadness in this experience. It was determined that the difference between students' perceptions of death and death anxiety total scores was not significant. When the results are considered, it is seen that the independent variables explain 12% of the total score of the Death Anxiety Scale, which is the dependent variable, and is significant. Conclusion: Based on these results, it can be suggested that the concept of death, acceptance of death, and appropriate approaches to possible reactions to death should be added to the nursing curriculum from the first year, and the content of the courses about patient care and the process should be enriched gradually as the year level increases.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

No financial resources were used.

Ethical Statement

This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the Ethics Committee of University E (17/24).

Thanks

We thank our students who participated in the study.

References

  1. Abdel-Khalek, A.M. (2005). Death anxiety in clinical and non-clinical groups. Death Studies, 29, 251–259. https://doi.org/10.1080/074 81180590916371
  2. Aydogan Sarıcicek, A., Gulseren, S., Sarikaya, O.Ö., & Özen, Ç. (2015). The validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Abdel-Khalek death anxiety scale in university students. Archives of Neuropsychiatry, 52, 371-375. https://doi.org/10.5152/npa.2015. 8820.
  3. Ayten, A. (2009). Death anxiety in university students: a comparative study on Turkish and Jordanian students. Journal of Theological Studies Academic Research, 9(1), 85-108.
  4. Berndtsson, I.E.K., Karlsson, M.G., & Rejnö, Å.C.U. (2019). Nursing students' attitudes toward care of dying patients: A pre- and post-palliative course study. Helion, 95(10), e02578. https://doi.org /10.1016/j.heliyon. 2019.e02578.
  5. Cerit, B. (2019). Influence of training on first-year nursing department students' attitudes on death and caring for dying patients: a single-group pretest–posttest experimental study. OMEGA-Journal of Death and Dying, 78(4), 335–347. https://doi.org/10 .1177/0030222817748838
  6. Cimete, G. (2002). End of Life Care. İstanbul: Nobel Medicine Bookstores.
  7. Curtis, K., Dagnall, N., Drinkwater, K., & Denovan, A. (2023). Facing death anxiety: effects of professional exposure to death and dying. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 37(4), 616-632. https://doi.o rg/10.31275/20233225
  8. García, C.M., Martín, L.R., Alcántara, M.F., Juárez, R.M., Montoro, C.H., & García-Caro, M.P. (2020). Content analysis of the effects of palliative care learning on the perception by nursing students of dying and dignified death. Nurse Education Today, 88, 104388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2020.104388.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Nurse Education

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

February 28, 2026

Submission Date

October 16, 2025

Acceptance Date

January 15, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 3 Number: 1

APA
Ceyhan, Ö., Sürme, Y., Yüceler Kaçmaz, H., Maraş Baydoğan, G., & Yılmaz, İ. (2026). The Effects of Nursing Students’ Previous Death Experiences on Their Death Perceptions and Anxiety When Faced with The Death of Their Patients. Current Research in Health Sciences, 3(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.62425/crihs.1805046
AMA
1.Ceyhan Ö, Sürme Y, Yüceler Kaçmaz H, Maraş Baydoğan G, Yılmaz İ. The Effects of Nursing Students’ Previous Death Experiences on Their Death Perceptions and Anxiety When Faced with The Death of Their Patients. Curr Res Health Sci. 2026;3(1):1-7. doi:10.62425/crihs.1805046
Chicago
Ceyhan, Özlem, Yeliz Sürme, Hatice Yüceler Kaçmaz, Gülseren Maraş Baydoğan, and İlker Yılmaz. 2026. “The Effects of Nursing Students’ Previous Death Experiences on Their Death Perceptions and Anxiety When Faced With The Death of Their Patients”. Current Research in Health Sciences 3 (1): 1-7. https://doi.org/10.62425/crihs.1805046.
EndNote
Ceyhan Ö, Sürme Y, Yüceler Kaçmaz H, Maraş Baydoğan G, Yılmaz İ (February 1, 2026) The Effects of Nursing Students’ Previous Death Experiences on Their Death Perceptions and Anxiety When Faced with The Death of Their Patients. Current Research in Health Sciences 3 1 1–7.
IEEE
[1]Ö. Ceyhan, Y. Sürme, H. Yüceler Kaçmaz, G. Maraş Baydoğan, and İ. Yılmaz, “The Effects of Nursing Students’ Previous Death Experiences on Their Death Perceptions and Anxiety When Faced with The Death of Their Patients”, Curr Res Health Sci, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 1–7, Feb. 2026, doi: 10.62425/crihs.1805046.
ISNAD
Ceyhan, Özlem - Sürme, Yeliz - Yüceler Kaçmaz, Hatice - Maraş Baydoğan, Gülseren - Yılmaz, İlker. “The Effects of Nursing Students’ Previous Death Experiences on Their Death Perceptions and Anxiety When Faced With The Death of Their Patients”. Current Research in Health Sciences 3/1 (February 1, 2026): 1-7. https://doi.org/10.62425/crihs.1805046.
JAMA
1.Ceyhan Ö, Sürme Y, Yüceler Kaçmaz H, Maraş Baydoğan G, Yılmaz İ. The Effects of Nursing Students’ Previous Death Experiences on Their Death Perceptions and Anxiety When Faced with The Death of Their Patients. Curr Res Health Sci. 2026;3:1–7.
MLA
Ceyhan, Özlem, et al. “The Effects of Nursing Students’ Previous Death Experiences on Their Death Perceptions and Anxiety When Faced With The Death of Their Patients”. Current Research in Health Sciences, vol. 3, no. 1, Feb. 2026, pp. 1-7, doi:10.62425/crihs.1805046.
Vancouver
1.Özlem Ceyhan, Yeliz Sürme, Hatice Yüceler Kaçmaz, Gülseren Maraş Baydoğan, İlker Yılmaz. The Effects of Nursing Students’ Previous Death Experiences on Their Death Perceptions and Anxiety When Faced with The Death of Their Patients. Curr Res Health Sci. 2026 Feb. 1;3(1):1-7. doi:10.62425/crihs.1805046

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