A Comparative Study of Death Anxiety Levels and Reflections among University Students

Year 2021, Volume: 6 Issue: 3, 109 - 131, 15.10.2021

Çağla Atmaca

https://doi.org/10.37898/spc.2021.6.3.156

Cited By: 1

Abstract

This concurrent mixed-method research study aimed to validate the psychometric properties of Templer Death Anxiety Scale (TDAS) and compare death anxiety reflections of 332 university students at English Language Teaching (ELT) and English Language and Literature (ELL) departments at a state university in Turkey. The data were collected through the TDAS and semi-structured interviews. According to statistical results, the four-factor model of TDAS was confirmed in this study. Also, department and gender were associated with differences among the participants. In light of phenomenological analyses of the interviews, both ELT and ELL students mostly defined death as a state such as infinity, darkness, inception, endlessness, salvation, freedom, annihilation, uncertainty, and eternity. As for the symbols, the ELT participants used events like traffic accident, sudden death, flying, voyage to symbolise death whereas the ELL participants used some states like innocence, freedom, emptiness, coldness, darkness, loneliness to symbolise death. The results offer a new perspective for death anxiety research in terms of including a different group of participants and highlighting changing attitudes of ELL and ELT students towards death and death anxiety. Educational implications are also discussed.

Keywords

Death anxiety, Death attitudes, Death education, pre-service teacher education, University students

Üniversite Öğrencilerinin Ölüm Kaygısı Düzeyleri ve Yansımaları Üzerine Karşılaştırmalı Bir Çalışma

Abstract

Eş zamanlı karma yöntemle yürütülen bu çalışma, Templer Ölüm Kaygısı Ölçeği’nin psikometrik özelliklerini doğrulamayı ve Türkiye’deki bir devlet üniversitesinde İngiliz Dili Eğitimi ve İngiliz Dili ve Edebiyatı bölümlerinde eğitim gören 332 üniversite öğrencisinin ölüm kaygısı yansımalarını karşılaştırmayı amaçlamıştır. Veriler, Templer Ölüm Kaygısı Ölçeği ve yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler yoluyla toplanmıştır. İstatistiksel sonuçlara göre, bu çalışmada Templer Ölüm Kaygısı Ölçeği’nin dört faktörlü modeli doğrulanmıştır. Ayrıca bölüm ve cinsiyet unsurları katılımcılar arasındaki farklılıklarla ilişkilendirilmiştir. Görüşmelerin fenomonolojik analizleri ışığında, her iki bölümde eğitim gören öğrenciler ölümü çoğunlukla sonsuzluk, karanlık, başlangıç, kurtuluş, özgürlük, yok olma, belirsizlik gibi bir durum olarak tanımlamışlardır. Semboller konusunda ise, İngiliz Dili Eğitimi bölümü öğrencileri ölümü simgelemek için trafik kazası, ani ölüm, uçma, yolculuk gibi olayları kullanırken İngiliz Dili ve Edebiyatı bölümü öğrencileri ölümü simgelemek için masumiyet, özgürlük, boşluk, soğukluk, karanlık, yalnızlık gibi durumları kullanmışlardır. Araştırma sonuçları, farklı bir katılımcı grubunu inceleme ve iki farklı bölümdeki öğrencilerinin ölüm ve ölüm kaygısına yönelik değişen tutumlarını vurgulama açısından ölüm kaygısı araştırmaları için yeni bir bakış açısı sunmaktadır. Eğitsel uygulamalar ayrıca tartışılmaktadır.

References

• Abdel-Khalek, A. M. (2005). Death anxiety in clinical and non-clinical groups. Death Studies, 29, 251-259.
• Abdel-Khalek, A. M. (2007). Love of life and death distress: Two separate factors. Journal of Death and Dying, 5(4), 267-78. doi:10.2190/OM.55.4.b.
• Akça, F., & Köse, I. A. (2008). Adaptation of death anxiety scale (DAS), validity and reliability studies. Clinical Psychiatry, 11, 7–16.
• Azarian, A., Aghakhani, S., & Ashuri, A. (2016). Investigating the relationship between death anxiety and attitude towards life among university students. International Journal of Medical Research & Health Sciences, 5, 233-238.
• Bakan, A. B., & Karadag-Arli, S. (2018). Comparison of attitudes toward death between university students who receive nursing education and who receive religious education. Journal of Religion and Health, 0(0), 1-9. doi: 10.1007/s10943-018-0609-z. 
• Bar-Nadav, O. (2002). Students’ attitudes towards death, bereavement and suicide. Unpublished Master’s Thesis, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Haifa, Israel.
• Becker, E. (1973). The denial of death. New York: Free Press.
• Bonoti, F., Leondari, A., & Mastora, A. (2013). Exploring children’s understanding of death: Through drawings and the death concept questionnaire. Death Studies, 37(1), 47-60. doi: 10.1080/07481187.2011.623216.
• Bourque, L. B. (2004). Cross-sectional design. In Michael S. Lewis-Beck, Alan Bryman, and Tim Futing Liao (Eds.), The SAGE encyclopedia of social science research methods, pp. 230. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412950589.
• Creswell, J. W., Plano Clark, V. L., Gutmann, M. L., & Hanson, W. E. (2003). Advanced mixed methods research designs. In A. Tashakkori & C. Teddlie (Eds.), Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research (pp. 209-240). Thousands Oaks, Calif.: Sage.
• Creswell, J. W., Hanson, W. E., Plano Clark V. L., & Morales, A. (2007). Qualitative research designs: Selection and implementation. The Counseling Psychologist, 35(2), 236-264.
• DeSpelder, L. A., & Strickland, A. L. (1996). The last dance: Encountering death and dying (4th ed.). Mountain View, CA, US: May eld Publishing Co.
• Dörnyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics. Quantitative, qualitative and mixed methodologies. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Ellis, L., Wahab, E. A., & Ratnasingan, M. (2013). Religiosity and fear of death: A three nation comparison. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 16(2), 179-199. doi: 10.1080/13674676.2011.652606.
• Ertufan, H. (2000). Bir grup tıp öğrencisi üzerinde ölüm kaygısı ve korkusu ölçeklerinin geçerlik güvenilirlik çalışması [Validity and reliability study of Templer’s Death Anxiety Scale and Collett & Lester’s Fear of Death Scale on a group of students in faculty of medicine]. Unpublished master’s thesis, Institute of Graduate Studies in Health Sciences, İstanbul University, İstanbul.
• Firestone, R. W. (1984). A concept of the primary fantasy bond: A developmental perspective. Psychotherapy, 21, 218–225.
• Fortner, B. V., & Neimeyer, R. A. (1999). Death anxiety in older adults: A quantitative review. Death Studies, 23(5), 387-411. doi: 10.1080/074811899200920.
• Furer, P., & Walker, J. R. (2008). Death anxiety: A cognitive-behavioral approach. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy: An International Quarterly, 22(2), 167-182.
• Gedik, Z., & Bahadır, G. (2014). Evaluation of death anxiety and e ecting factors in a Turkish sample. Journal of Human Sciences, 11(2), 388-400.
• Greenberg, J., Pyszczynski, T., Solomon, S., Rosenblatt, A., Veeder, M., Kirkland, S., & Lyon, D. (1990). Evidence for terror management II: The effects of mortality salience on reactions to those who threaten or bolster the cultural worldview. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 308-318.
• Greening, N. (2019). Phenomenological research methodology. Scienti c Research Journal (SCIRJ), VII(V), 88-92.
• Hahn, C. (2008). Doing qualitative research using your computer: A practical guide. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
• Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2014). Multivariate data analysis. New Jersey, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
• Hegedus, K., Zana, Á., & Szabó, G. (2008). E ect of end of life education on medical students’ and health care workers’ death attitude. Palliative Medicine, 22, 264–269.
• Heidegger, M. (1962). Being and time (1. Macquarrie and E. Robinson, Trans.). London: SCM Press LTD. (Original work published 1927).
• Kesebir P. (2014). A quiet ego quiets death anxiety: Humility as an existential anxiety bu er. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 106(4), 610–23.
• Khoshi, A., Nia, H. S., & Torkmandi, H. (2017). Investigation into the factors affecting death anxiety in Iranian students. Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, 11(12), 24-27.
• Kübler-Ross, E. (1969). On death and dying. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co.
• Levin, K. A. (2006). Study design III: Cross-sectional studies. Evidence-Based Dentistry, 7, 24-25. doi:10.1038/sj.ebd.6400375.
• Mackey, A., & Gass, S. M. (2005). Second language research: Methodology and design. London: Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc.
• Mcgovern, M., & Barry, M. M. (2000). Death education: Knowledge, attitudes, and perspectives of Irish parents and teachers. Death Studies, 24(4), 325-333. doi: 10.1080/074811800200487.
• McKay, S. L. (2006). Researching second language classrooms. Lawrence Erlbaum, Associates Publishers: London.
• Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis. London: Sage Publication. Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Neimeyer, R. A., Wittkowski, J., & Moser, R. P. (2004). Psychological research on death attitudes: An overview and evaluation. Death Studies, 28, 309-340. doi: 10.1080/07481180490432324.
• Pyszczynski, T., Greenberg, J., & Solomon, S. (1999). A dual process model of defense against conscious and unconscious death-related thoughts: An extension of terror management theory. Psychological Review, 106(4), 835–845.
• Russac, R. J., Gatli , C., Reece, M., & Spottswood, D. (2007). Death anxiety across the adult years: An examination of age and gender effects. Death Studies, 31(6), 549-561. doi: 10.1080/07481180701356936.
• Sarıkaya, Y., & Baloğlu, M. (2016). The development and psychometric properties of the Turkish death anxiety scale (TDAS). Death Studies, 40(7), 419-431. doi: 10.1080/07481187.2016.1158752.
• Sharif Nia, H., Lehto, R. H., Ebadi, A., & Peyrovi, H. (2016). Death anxiety among nurses and health care professionals: A review article. International Journal of Community-Based Nursing and Midwifery (IJCBNM), 4(1), 2-10.
• Şenol, C. (1989). Ankara ilinde kurumlarda yaşayan yaşlılarda ölüme ilişkin kaygı ve korkular [Anxiety and fear about death among elderly who are residing in institutions in Ankara]. Unpublished master’s thesis, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey.
• Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (1996). The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory: Measuring the positive legacy of trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 9(3), 455–471.
• Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (2004). Posttraumatic growth: Conceptual foundations and empirical evidence. Psychological Inquiry, 15, 1–18.
• Templer, D. I. (1970). The construction and validation of a death anxiety scale. Journal of General Psychology, 82, 165–177.
• Tomer, A., & Eliason, G. (1996). Toward a comprehensive model of death anxiety. Death Studies, 20(4), 343 365.
• Wong, P. T. P., Reker, G. T., & Gesser, G. (1994). Death attitude pro le-revised: A multidimensional measure of attitudes toward death. In R. A. Neimeyer (Ed.), Death anxiety handbook: Research, instrumentation, and application (pp. 121–148). Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.
• Yüksel, P., & Yıldırım, S. (2015). Theoretical frameworks, methods, and procedures for conducting phenomenological studies in educational settings. Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry, 6(1), 1-20.
• Zangirolami-Raimundo, J., Echeimberg, J. O., & Leone, C. (2018). Research methodology topics: Cross-sectional studies. Journal of Human Growth and Development, 28(3). 356-360. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.7322/jhgd.152198.
• Zhang, J., Peng, J., Gao, P., Huang, H., Cao, Y., Zheng, L., & Miao, D. (2019). Relationship between meaning in life and death anxiety in the elderly: Self-esteem as a mediator. BMC Geriatrics, 19(308). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-019-1316-7.
• Zheng, M. (2015). Conceptualization of cross-sectional mixed methods studies in health science: A methodological review. International Journal of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods, 3(2), 66-87.