Collett-Lester Fear Of Death Scale Research Articles

Death Anxiety and Its Influencing Factors Among Family Caregivers of Cancer Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study.

In China, caregiving for cancer patients is primarily the responsibility of family members. This role often exposes family caregivers to the contemplation of mortality. Death anxiety among family caregivers may influence the care they offer to cancer patients. This study aims to evaluate the prevailing level of death anxiety among Chinese family caregivers of cancer patients and identify its influencing factors. This cross-sectional study followed the STROBE statement. A total of 220 family caregivers of cancer patients were recruited from a prominent tertiary hospital in southern China. The survey included a general information questionnaire, the Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale, the Social Support Rating Scale and the Simple Coping Style Questionnaire. In addition to descriptive statistics, ANOVA, mean differences, correlations and regression analyses were computed. The average score for death anxiety among family caregivers of cancer patients was 104.27 ± 21.02. Death anxiety was negatively correlated with a positive coping style and social support. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that marital status, death education, patients' fear of death and coping style accounted for 41.0% of the variance in death anxiety among family caregivers. Family caregivers of cancer patients experienced a moderate level of death anxiety. Individuals who were unmarried or divorced, lacked death education, had negative coping styles or cared for patients with fear of death tended to have high levels of death anxiety. Healthcare providers should act as credible educators to reduce caregivers' death anxiety by imparting positive coping styles and accurate knowledge and values about death so caregivers can provide high-quality care to patients.

Adaptation of the Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale in Colombian Nursing Students

Objetivos: El objetivo de este estudio fue adaptar y validar la Escala de Miedo a la Muerte de Collett-Lester al contexto colombiano en estudiantes de enfermería. Materiales y métodos: Estudio de tipo psicométrico realizado durante 2022. La validez de contenido se desarrolló con 13 expertos, quienes revisaron la claridad, comprensión, precisión, relevancia y coherencia de la escala. Se calculó el acuerdo entre los jueces con el índice Lawshe modificado. El proceso de validez facial se realizó con 17 estudiantes de enfermería, quienes evaluaron la escala en términos de su comprensión, recuperación, juicio y adecuación a través de una entrevista cognitiva. Resultados: Los 28 ítems de la escala tuvieron un IVC igual o superior a 0.85; 6 ítems tuvieron ajustes de contenido; 20 ítems tuvieron ajustes semánticos y 5 ítems se mantuvieron igual. En la entrevista cognitiva con los estudiantes de enfermería se determinó que los 28 ítems de la escala tienen adecuada recuperación, juicio y adecuación, lo que demuestra que es válido en cuanto al contenido, fraseo e importancia de la pregunta. Solo el ítem 27 requirió ajustes en cuanto a su comprensión. Conclusiones: La Escala de Miedo a la Muerte es un instrumento adaptado y válido para su uso con estudiantes de enfermería en Colombia. Esta herramienta es útil para usarse en contextos educativos y clínicos, así como investigativos.

Validation of the Collett-Lester fear of death scale in occupational therapy students: psychometric testing and implications for palliative care education

BackgroundThe fear of death is a common experience among healthcare students and professionals that may impact the quality of care provided to patients, particularly those receiving palliative care. The Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale is a widely used instrument to assess this fear, although its psychometric properties have not been extensively studied in Occupational Therapy students. The present study aimed to validate the Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale (CL-FODS) in a sample of Occupational Therapy students and to explore its implications for palliative care education.MethodA cross-sectional study was conducted to perform psychometric testing of the CL-FODS in Occupational Therapy undergraduate students. Structural validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability were analysed. A total of 195 Occupational Therapy students were included in this study. Additionally, the participants completed a brief survey on their experiences and attitudes towards palliative care.ResultsThe internal consistency was satisfactory (α = 0.888). The exploratory factor analysis to evaluate the internal structure yielded four factors. The model fit indices were: comparative fit index = 0.89, and root mean square error of approximation = 0.06). The test–retest reliability was satisfactory and demonstrated an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.939.ConclusionThe Spanish version of the CL-FODS showed satisfactory psychometric properties; therefore, assessing fear of death in Occupational Therapy students is helpful. This study highlights the importance of addressing fear of death and palliative care education in Occupational Therapy undergraduates to improve future professional attitudes and, consequently, the quality of patient care at the end of life.

Death Anxiety and Associated Factors Among Oncology Nurses and Physicians.

Background: Providing care for dying patients is a stress-inducing, complicated, as well as essential responsibility for health care providers. Furthermore, end-of-life care is associated with intense personal emotions such as grief, anxiety, depression, frustration, and guilt. Moreover, caring for terminally ill patients is a challenging task that confronts physicians and nurses with the psychological concerns of dealing with death, which is accompanied by a high level of physical and psychological discomfort.Objective: This study was aimed to measure the level of death anxiety among oncology nurses and physicians and to determine the associated factors that influence their level of death anxiety.Method: A cross-sectional descriptive design was used to guide this study, a non-probability convenience sampling method was used to recruit 200 oncology nurses and physicians from one specialized cancer center in Jordan. Data were collected using an electronic self-reported questionnaire include demographic data sheet and Collett-Lester fear of death scale, as well as all participants were invited via email for voluntary participation in this study.Result: The results revealed that the oncology nurses and physicians exhibited a moderate levels of death anxiety (CLDFODS = 91.07), furthermore, the result showed that female nurses and physicians exhibited a higher level of anxiety than male. Further, there were statistically significant differences in nurses' and physicians' level of death anxiety according to years of experience, receiving previous education on death and dying, and religious beliefs. On the other hand, there is no statistically significant differences in nurses' and physicians' level of death anxiety based on present or previous experience with loss of someone close to them.Conclusion: Jordanian oncology Nurses and physicians exhibited a moderate levels of death anxiety and fear of death, therefore, they have to address the inevitability of mortality since they are caring for dying patients frequently. They have to understand and acknowledge their thoughts regarding death and dying, as well as their death anxiety level before interacting with dying patients.

Psicometria brasileira da escala do medo da morte de Collett-Lester

Abstract Methodological study conducted with 279 individuals to evaluate the reliability of the Collett-Lester fear of death scale and relate it to the spiritual well-being scale. Its multifactorial structure was confirmed by four dimensions and 24 items. Internal consistency obtained Cronbach’s α of 0.951. Pearson’s correlation (r=0.87 and p =0.000) confirmed stability. Collett-Lester fear of death scale showed positive correlation with three of the four spiritual well-being scale items, ranging from weak to moderate magnitudes. The Collett-Lester fear of death scale proved to be reliable for the Brazilian reality.

Brazilian psychometrics of the Collett-Lester fear of death scale

Resumen Estudio metodológico que evalúa la confiabilidad de la escala de miedo a la muerte de Collett-Lester y la relaciona con la escala de bienestar espiritual en una muestra de 279 personas. La estructura multifactorial de la escala se confirmó en cuatro elementos y 24 ítems. La consistencia interna obtuvo el α de Cronbach de 0,951. La estabilidad se confirmó mediante la correlación de Pearson (r=0,87 y p =0,000). La correlación de la escala de miedo a la muerte de Collett-Lester ocurrió con tres de los cuatro factores de la escala de bienestar espiritual, siendo positiva y variando de magnitudes bajas a moderadas. La escala de miedo a la muerte de Collett-Lester es confiable al contexto brasileño.

Brazilian psychometrics of the Collett-Lester fear of death scale

Resumo Estudo metodológico para avaliar a confiabilidade da escala de medo da morte de Collett-Lester e relacioná-la com a escala de bem-estar espiritual em amostra de 279 pessoas. A estrutura multifatorial da escala foi confirmada por quatro dimensões e 24 itens. A consistência interna obteve α de Cronbach: 0,951. A estabilidade foi confirmada pela correlação de Pearson (r=0,87 e p =0,000). A correlação escala de medo da morte de Collett-Lester ocorreu com três dos quatro fatores da escala de bem-estar espiritual, sendo positiva e variando de magnitudes fracas a moderadas. A escala de medo da morte de Collett-Lester se mostrou confiável à realidade brasileira.

An Exploration of Death Anxiety of Family Members of Silent Mentor Body Donation Program.

Background: This study assesses the level of death anxiety among the family members of the Silent Mentor Programme (SMP) and determines whether their participation in various ceremonies during the training session impacted their death anxiety. Methods: The revised Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale (CL-FODS) was administered to the study participants before the opening ceremony and after the sending-off ceremony of the programme. Results: All the four subscales that measure fear of one's own death, fear of the process of one's own dying, fear of the death of others and fear of the process of others dying in the CL-FODS showed significant reduction after the sending-off ceremony compared with before the opening ceremony. Younger family members reported significantly higher mean total death anxiety scores compared to the older members. Conclusion: The SMP not only nurtures doctors with humanity but also helps the family members to cope with grief and loss.

Effect of Self-healing Training on Death Anxiety and Sleep Quality of Older Women Living in Nursing Homes

Objectives Aging is one of the important stages of human development. Death anxiety and sleep quality are among the most common mental health issues in the elderly which can be improved by proper intervention. This study aims to assess the effect of self-healing training on sleep quality and death anxiety of older women living in nursing homes. Methods & Materials This is a quasi-experimental study with a pretest/posttest/follow-up phase. The study population consists of all older women aged 60-70 years living in a nursing home in Isfahan, Iran in 2020. Of these, 40 were selected using a convenience sampling method and based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and were randomly assigned into two groups of intervention (n=20) and control (n=20). They were assessed by the Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index before, immediately after, and 45 days after the intervention. The intervention group received a 12-session self-healing intervention while the control group was placed in a waiting list without receiving any intervention. The results were analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance in SPSS software, version 24. Results The self-healing training significantly improved the components of death anxiety (fear of own death, fear of the process of own dying, fear of the death of others, and fear of the process of others dying) and some of sleep quality components (subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep disturbances, and use of sleeping medication) (P<0.05). These effects significantly remained constant in the follow-up phase in the components of fear of own death, subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep disturbances and use of sleeping medication (P<0.05). No significant difference was found in other variables between the post-test and follow-up phases (P> 0.05). Conclusion The self-healing training can reduce perceived death anxiety and improve sleep quality of older women living in nursing homes. It can be used as an effective educational method for improving the lifestyle and mental health of older women living in nursing homes.

The effect of spirituality-oriented psychological counseling on the fear of death among patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis: A randomized controlled trial

Chronic renal failure as a progressive pathological process can reduce patient quality of life. This study aimed to investigate the effect of spirituality-oriented psychological counseling (SOPC) on fear of death (FOD) among hemodialysis patients. This randomized controlled trial was conducted in 2019–2020. Through convenience sampling, 66 hemodialysis patients were selected and randomly assigned to either an intervention or control group in Modares hospital in Saveh, Iran. Each patient was evaluated pre-and post-intervention by the Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale. Both groups received routine spiritual care weekly. But the intervention group received additional psychological counseling named SOPC. The SOPC comprised six sessions conducted for 45 min every day. This trial was registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (RCT No. IRCT20161210031328N10). There was no significant difference between the intervention and control group on FOD (60.75±15.72 vs. 61.48±16.23, p=0.26), before the intervention. However, after the intervention, the FOD in the intervention group was significantly less than the control group (35.01±15.23 vs. 60.72±16.79, p=0.01). The mean score of FOD in the intervention group had a significant decrease after the intervention (p=0.01). While the score of FOD in the control group has no significant difference after the intervention (p=0.26). This study shows that the SOPC reduces the FOD in Shia-Muslim hemodialysis patients. It is suggested that further studies be conducted on the effect of the SOPC on the FOD in other populations as well.

Fear of Death between Nursing Students in the Academic and Professional Programs

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY:. Nurses inevitably witness death in their professional practice. These experiences can trigger fear of a patient’s death, fear of their own death or fear of the dying process. A review of literature revealed the absence of studies on dying and feelings towards the dying process particularly fear of death among students in the Indonesian context. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study explored the levels of fear of death and the differences between students enrolled sophomore academic program and those in the professional program. METHODOLOGY: This was a quantitative comparative study that utilized a cross-sectional design. Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale was adapted to measure the fear of death among the respondents by using univariate analysis. Bivariate analysis was also utilized by applying the independent T-test to determine the significance of the difference in the data results. All 50 professional students were included in the study while simple random sampling was done to select 50 students enrolled in the academic program. RESULTS: The level of fear of death among the sophomore students was moderate to high, while those in the professional program was moderate. Furthermore, the T-test revealed a p-value of 0.010 indicating a significant difference in the level of fear of death among sophomore academic program students compared to students in the professional program. CONCLUSION: There is a significant difference in the level of fear of death between sophomore nursing students in the academic program compared to those in the professional nursing program.

Validation of the Revised Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale in a French Population.

Death and dying are processes that every human being encounters in his or her lifetime and perhaps the greatest loss an individual can suffer. In this sense, fear of death is regarded as a risk and maintaining factor of psychopathology. As such, effective and efficient measurement of this construct becomes a priority. While the Revised Collett-Lester Fear Of Death Scale (CL-FODS) is a brief, commonly used assessment, such a tool is lacking in French clinical practice. The present study aimed to adapt the revised CL-FODS in a general French sample and to determine its psychometric properties, namely its factorial structure, concurrent and convergent validity, and internal consistency. A sample of 590 participants responded to the French revised CL-FODS, as well as three instruments assessing death anxiety (DAS), neuroticism and spirituality (FACIT-Sp), to examine the internal consistency, validity and factorial structure of the scale. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a four-factor model: (1) One’s Own Death,” (2) The Death of Others, (3) The Dying of Others, and (4) One’s Own Dying. Five items did not load on these four factors, suggesting that the revised CL-FODS might require further psychometric refinement. The revised CL-FODS showed good internal consistency. The scale was found to be significantly associated with the Death Anxiety Scale. When the appropriate psychometric characteristics are taken into account, this scale can be used in clinical and research settings to assess death concerns in French society.

Emotional Intelligence And Corona-Phobia

Application of emotional intelligence in daily activities is necessary in promoting positive relational and adaptive attitudes. This study explored emotional intelligence and corona-phobia and the moderating influence of the age, family and gender. It employed a descriptive survey research design and a total of two (200) hundred respondents participated in the study through the online monkey survey medium. The study adapted the Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS) by Schutte, Malouff, Hall, Haggerty, Cooper, Golden and Dornheim (1998); Brief Family Relationship Scale by Moos and Moos, (1994); and the Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale by Lester (2018) for data collection. The five (5) hypotheses raised were tested at 0.05 level of significance and data were analyzed using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation and multiple regression. The study revealed that emotional intelligence has significant positive correlation on corona-phobia; it also confirmed the moderating influence of age, family and gender on corona-phobia while gender was the most potent influence. It was recommended that individuals should make deliberate efforts to build their skills on emotional intelligence as this facilitates individual coping ability with stress and its relatedness. Interventions for psychosocial preparedness were also suggested to reduce the negative impact that the outbreak of corona-phobia may have on individual’s mental health.

Templer's Death Anxiety Scale: A Critique

Templer’s Death Anxiety Scale (DAS) has great heterogeneity in its item content. The present study examined the reliability of the DAS and what it may measure in relation to death anxiety. A convenience sample of 106 Iranian nurses from two hospitals in Tehran, Iran was recruited. They completed the Death Anxiety Scale (DAS) and the Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale (CLFDS). The DAS total score, factor scores and item scores were not strongly correlated with the subscale scores of the CLFDS which distinguish between the fear of death and the fear of dying and between these fears for oneself versus death and dying of others. Therefore, it is unclear what aspects of death anxiety the DAS is measuring. It was concluded that the DAS should be discarded as a measure of death anxiety. Keywords: Death anxiety, Templer’s Death Anxiety Scale, Validity

Subtypes of obsessive-compulsive disorder and their relationship to death anxiety

Recent theoretical and empirical research has demonstrated a relationship between death anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), with a focus on compulsive washing. However, no study has examined whether death anxiety plays an important role across various symptom domains of OCD. The present studies explored the relationship between death anxiety and OCD subtypes across two independent samples of treatment-seeking individuals with this disorder. In Study 1, results from 79 participants demonstrated significant correlations between the Multidimensional Fear of Death Scale and each Vancouver Obsessive Compulsive Inventory (VOCI) subscale. In Study 2, these results were largely replicated using the Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale in a larger sample of 132 participants. Lastly, results from integrating the samples indicated that the strength of these relationships, although substantial for all types, varied slightly across the subtypes of OCD. Taken together, the findings demonstrate a strong relationship between death anxiety and the differing forms of OCD. Clinical implications include the possibility that fears of death may need to be directly addressed in order to produce long-term symptom amelioration. However, further research is needed to establish the potential causal role of death anxiety across different OCD subtypes.

Validity and Reliability of the Farsi Version of the Death Anxiety Scale With Nurses

This study was conducted to determine the validity and reliability of Death Anxiety Scale (DAS), a scale designed by Templer to (1970) to assess the death anxiety, a scale which has been used extensively for research. A convenience sample of 106 Iranian nurses from two hospitals at Tehran city, Iran, was recruited. They completed the DAS, Death Concern Scale, the Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale, the Reasons for Death Fear Scale, the Death Obsession Scale, and the Death Depression Scale. Cronbach’s α, split-half, and 2-week test–retest reliabilities for the DAS were .60, .52, and .63, respectively. The DAS correlated .52, .38, .50, .47, and .50 with the aforementioned scales, respectively ( p < .01 level), indicating moderate validity. Principle components analysis of the DAS identified four factors: F1 “Death anxiety,” F2 “Fear of the future,” F3 Time passing,” and F4 “Thoughts of death.” The DAS has only moderate validity and reliability. The DAS is brief (only 15 items) and may be useful for screening nurses and other hospital personnel for high death anxiety. Those with high scores may be better prepared for working with severely ill and dying patients after referring them for education and counseling.

The Farsi translation, reliability and validity of the Death Concern Scale.

Death concern is a conscious contemplation of the reality of death combined with a negative evaluation of that reality. The Death Concern Scale (DCS) is related to thinking, and death fear or anxiety about death. The aim of the present study was to develop a Farsi version of the DCS and to explore its psychometric properties in a sample of Iranian nurses. A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the reliability, validity, and factorial structure of the Farsi version of the DCS in a convenience sample of 106 Iranian nurses in two hospitals in Tehran, Iran. The nurses completed the DCS, the Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale (CLFDS), the Death Anxiety Scale (DAS), the Reasons for Death Fear Scale (RDFS), the Death Depression Scale (DDS), and the Death Obsession Scale (DOS). For the DCS, Cronbach's α was 0.77, the Spearman-Brown coefficient 0.63, the Guttman split-half coefficient 0.62, and two-week test-retest reliability 0.77. The DCS correlated at 0.51 with the CLFDS, 0.52 with the DAS, 0.34 with the RDFS, 0.40 with the DDS, and 0.48 with the DOS, indicating good construct and criterion-related validity. The results of an exploratory factor analysis for the DCS identified seven factors, accounting for 64.30% of the variance and indicating considerable heterogeneity in the content of the items. The Farsi version of the DCS has good validity and reliability, and it can be used in clinical, educational, and research settings to assess death concerns in the Iranian society.

Validation of the Farsi version of the Death Obsession Scale among nurses

ObjectivesObsession is one of the important aspects in death distress. The objective of this study was to estimate the reliability, validity, and factorial structure of the Farsi version of the Death Obsession Scale (DOS). MethodsA convenience sample of 106 Iranian nurses from two hospitals at Tehran city, Iran was recruited. They completed the DOS, Death Concern Scale, Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale, Death Anxiety Scale, Reasons for Death Fear Scale, and Death Depression Scale. ResultsCronbach's α for the DOS was 0.95, and 2-week test-retest reliability was 0.74. The DOS correlated 0.48, 0.46, 0.47, 0.39 and 0.44 with the last mentioned scales, respectively (P < 0.01), indicating good construct and criterion-related validity. Principle components analysis of the DOS identified three factors accounted for 74.82% of the variance. Factor 1 labeled “Death rumination” (34.78% of the variance), Factor 2 labeled “Death dominance” (29.65% of the variance), and Factor 3 labeled “Death idea repetition” (10.38% of the variance). ConclusionsThe DOS has good validity and reliability, and it could be recommended for use in clinical and research settings to assess the death obsession in Iranian nurses.

Investigating the role of perception of aging and associated factors in death anxiety among the elderly.

Background and objectivesThe world’s growing elderly population highlights the necessity for further attention to the psychological problems of the elderly, such as death anxiety. Analysis of the elderly’s perception of aging and associated factors can contribute to prediction of their future physical and mental health. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of perception of aging, and a group of demographic factors, with death anxiety in the elderly living in Gonabad, Iran.Subjects and methodsThis analytical descriptive study was conducted on 330 elderly residents of Gonabad, who were selected by stratified random sampling. Research tools were a standard demographic questionnaire, Barker’s Brief Aging Perceptions Questionnaire, and Collett–Lester Fear of Death Scale. Data were collected by interview of respondents at their home. Data analysis was carried out in SPSS 16 using descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, Pearson’s test, independent t-test, and linear regression.ResultsRespondents had a mean age of 73.97±7.68 years, 42.4% of respondents were men and 57.6% were women. The total Barker’s Brief Aging Perceptions Questionnaire score was 63.18±8.75, with the highest score (17.10±4.70) associated with negative consequences and control. The total Collett–Lester Fear of Death Scale score was 128±14.80, with the highest score (35.13±4.06) pertaining to the subscale fear of other people’s death. Regression results indicated that the death anxiety score was predictable according to the age and all dimensions of perception of aging, except for the consequences and negative control dimension.ConclusionAge and the perception of aging are good predictors of death anxiety. The authors recommend further research on the determinants of death anxiety in the elderly and the development of a comprehensive care plan to reduce this anxiety among Iranian elderly.

Miedo a la muerte en estudiantes de Medicina

ObjectiveThis study aims to detect, describe and analyse the fear of death of medical students of the University of Lleida from the academic years between 1998-2014, and to know if this fear is related to variables such as gender, age, personal losses, beliefs about death and the influence of the curriculum. MethodThe study included 676 medical students, from the academic years between 1998 and 2014, who were given the revised Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale and a questionnaire on sociodemographic and biographical variables. ResultThe analysis of the variables surveyed indicates that medical students present an intermediate level of fear of death and the process of dying. The results vary according to gender, age, personal losses, beliefs about death and the curriculum. ConclusionsWith the results obtained, it is proposed that medical schools should include or highlight a more death and suffering orientated approach to enable students to obtain greater knowledge and receive training in accompanying death and death.