Death Threat and Death Concerns in the College Student

Abstract

A four part investigation of death orientation in college students using the provided-construct form of the Threat Index and the Death Concern Scale was conducted. Part I investigated the construct validity of the Threat Index, reporting significant predicted correlations of the Threat Index with the Death Concern Scale, Trait Anxiety Scale, and Repression-Sensitization Scale. Part II explored death orientation and personality differences between a Thanatology Group (death education students) and a Control Group. Thanatology students reported significantly lesser death threat and significantly greater death concerns than controls. Part III compared pre-test to post-test changes in death threat and death concerns for the Thanatology Group with pre-post changes for the Control Group. Using analysis of covariance procedures, a significantly greater decline in death threat was obtained in the Thanatology Group relative to the controls. Part IV explored two personality variables–trait anxiety and repression-sensitization–as moderators of change in death orientation in the Thantology Group. Trait anxiety was found to be a significant predictor of change in death threat in the Thanatology Group, with lesser anxiety associated with greater decline in death threat.