934 – Evaluation of death anxiety among staffs of a state hospital

Abstract

Aim Considering the excessive contacts of the hospital staff with death and the ability of death anxiety to reduce functional ability in an individual.the aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of death anxiety among a state hospital staff. Methods This is a descriptive study that conducted in an overall of 612 individuals received a questionnaire at a state hospital in Sari(Iran) during spring 2008. The questionnaire was consisted of two parts; demographic part and Templer Death Anxiety Scale (DAS; Templer, 1970). The data were analyzed by SPSS software version 16.0 using t test and chi-square test. Results The range of age was 20-53. About 42.2% of the participants had mild death anxiety while 57.8% had severe death anxiety. The mean scores achieved by the individuals was 7.70 ± 3.133 in women and 6.19 ± 2.552 in men. The severity of death anxiety had a significant correlation with sex while having no correlation with age, marital status, having or not having children, educational level and occupation. Conclusion Due to high levels of death anxiety among the staffs, mental Health interventions are recommended to the same population in order to improve the mental health Quality. Additionally, performing comprehensive studies in the general population is needed.