간호학생의 죽음에 대한 태도

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitude toward death in Korean nursing students. Method: The sample consisted of 365 baccalaureate nursing students. The questionnaires included questions on sociodemographics and death-related characteristics of the participants, and the Fear of Death and Dying Scale (FODS) to measure the attitude toward death. Result: The mean of the FODS score was 2.63 out of 4, so the participants had a slightly negative attitude toward death. There were statistically significant differences between gender, religion, religion activity, perceived health status, experience of parents` death, experience of friend`s death, and overall FODS score. Among the four subscales of overall FODS, the score of the fear of death of self was significantly higher in the participants who experienced clinical practice and who experienced patient`s death in the intensive care unit compared to the emergency room. Conclusion: Based on the study results, educational programs to change the attitude toward death are required before clinical practice. Programs need to consider nursing students` gender and religion, and give opportunity to share experiences and feelings about death of family or friend. In addition, using standardized patients and simulators is advised in the need for simulation training.