The Relationship between Direct and Indirect Measures of Death Anxiety

Abstract

Using a multimethod, multilevel approach to assess death anxiety, this study investigated the relationship between direct measures, the relationship between indirect measures, the relationship between direct and indirect measures and the relationship between direct measures and the variables of age, social desirability and repression–sensitization (R-S) for males and females. Direct measures were significantly and meaningfully related to one another and to R-S; no significant relationship was found between any two indirect measures for either males or females; no consistently significant results were found between direct and indirect measures or between direct measures and age and social desirability for either males or females. Discussion focused on overreliance on statistically significant correlations to the neglect of predictive power; establishing cutoff scores for direct measures; establishing the reliability and validity of indirect measures.