Age Differences in Levels of Overt and Covert Death Anxiety

Abstract

The current study explored the relationship between conscious (overt) and unconscious (covert) death anxiety and chronological age, wherein composite scores as well as factor scores were used in the comparison of younger and older adults. Results indicated that there were reliable age differences in both overt and covert levels of death fear. Contrary to previous literature, older adults evidenced higher levels of overt fear, while younger adults' covert fears were greater. These data further substantiate the distinction between overt and covert levels of death anxiety in adulthood, where cumulative differential loss experiences over the course of a lifetime most likely lessen the need to deny fears of one's own death, while sensitizing older persons to the loss of intimate relationships with others.