Abstract
The acquisition of the death concept in children may influence how these children cope with the losses that they will confront throughout their lives. At the present time, there is a lack of psychometric instruments in Spanish-speaking countries in order to evaluate the components of the death concept in children. The aim of this study was to create and validate a scale (EsCoMu-Escala sobre el Concepto de Muerte) in order to provide insight about the concept of death in children. The sample was formed by 358 children from ages 6 to 13 years. The final EsCoMu version has 27 items which serve to evaluate universality, irreversibility, non-functionality and causality. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis show an adequate fit index for the four dimensions model, reliability (α = 83) and validity evidence, specifically based on the children’s age. In conclusion, EsCoMu is an instrument that shows adequate reliability and validity indices in order to assess the concept of death and its four components among children. Due to its simplicity, this instrument can be very useful if applied to the field of neurodevelopmental disorders.
Highlights
In Western societies, death is often considered a taboo subject
In the case of children, in addition to the social reticence to talk about death, the way that the concepts of death and dying are learned is extremely important [1] and may influence how they cope with grief and loss
Previous research seems to indicate that children grief manifestations are directly associated to the knowledge they have about death [2]
Summary
In Western societies, death is often considered a taboo subject. In the case of children, in addition to the social reticence to talk about death, the way that the concepts of death and dying are learned is extremely important [1] and may influence how they cope with grief and loss. Previous research seems to indicate that children grief manifestations are directly associated to the knowledge they have about death [2]. Recent reviews consider the concept of death as a core aspect when communicating bad news to children and adolescents [4]. Explaining the concept of death from the perspective of children aged 4 to 8: A descriptive phenomenological study. Is Death Taboo for Children? Developing Death Ambivalence as a Theoretical Framework to Understand Children’s
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