THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL ORIENTATION TOWARD DYING AND DEATH INVENTORY (MODDI-F)

Abstract

This article describes the development of a questionnaire for the multidimensional assessment of both the fear of dying and death and the acceptance of dying and death. The Multidimensional Orientation Toward Dying and Death Inventory (MODDI-F) is based on a 2 2 4-dimensional a priori structure. It consists of a factor analytically constructed version with 47 items in 8 subscales. In a German sample (N = 944; 426 men, 513 women; 18 - 93 years, stratified by age and sex), the internal consistency of the subscales ranges from .82 to .92.With the exception of one subscale, test - retest reliability is satisfactory. Construct validity has been demonstrated.The influence of social desirability is small in women and moderate in men.The available data suggest that MODDI-F provides a comprehensive, differentiated, reliable,and valid measurement of various orientations toward dying and death.