Predictors of Fear of Death and Self-Mortality: An Atlantic Canadian Perspective

Abstract

This research was undertaken to explore gender, religiosity, perceived time-left-to-live and the interactions between these variables as predictors of fear of death in 144 Atlantic Canadian students using the Multidimensional Fear of Death Scale (MFODS). Predictions about cause, age, marital status, and place of death were also derived from the Do-It-Yourself-Death-Certificate and compared with actuarial data to determine accuracy. Results showed significant gender effects on 2 MFODS subscales, such that women demonstrated greater fear for significant others and fear of the dead. More religious participants expressed greater fear of the dead, fear of being destroyed, and fear of conscious death, whereas participants with lower religious conviction were more fearful of the unknown. In addition, significant interactions between the predictors on various subscales of the MFODS were observed. Finally, both men and women made inaccurate death-related predictions when compared to actuarial data but predicted differential causes of death.