Contributions of Health and Demographic Status to Death Anxiety and Attitudes toward Voluntary Passive Euthanasia

Abstract

Two experimenter-interviewers and 211 volunteer interviewees participated. Two multivariate data “packages”–obtained via standardized individual interviews–were examined: 1. Templer Death Anxiety Scale (DAS) total scores and attitudes toward voluntary passive euthanasia; 2. five DAS-derived principal components previously identified as independent sources of death anxiety. A significant sex-difference (females showing greater death anxiety than males) was consistent with previous research. Consistent with Kubler-Ross' earlier speculation, both greater death acceptance and anxiety were observed among rural as compared to urban-dwelling participants. Responses by a life-threatened geriatric subsample ( n = 60) revealed significant differences in death fears related to type of medical disorder. This was consistent with an idiographic “orientations toward death” theoretical perspective. The previously reported finding of no difference in the death fears of heart and cancer patients was replicated although its generalization to other life-threatened patient groups was contraindicated.