255 college students and 71 elderly persons answered 12 items about either death or dying which pertained either to the general case and people in general, or to themselves. If it is assumed that expressing less fear when the item concerns oneself constitutes denial, evidence for denial was found only with fear of dying and only in the younger group. Further, experience with dying by itself did not account for the age difference; 116 nurses' aides in nursing homes also showed denial in their fear of dying.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
DicksteinL.Attitudes toward death, anxiety, and social desirability. Omega, 1977, 8, 369–378.
2.
KimseyL.RobertsJ.LoganD.Death, dying, and denial in the aged. American Journal of Psychiatry, 1972, 129, 161–166.
3.
RothN.Fear of death in the aging. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 1978, 32, 552–560.
4.
SandersT.PooleT.RiveroW.Death anxiety among the elderly. Psychological Reports, 1980, 46, 53–54.
5.
SwensonW.Attitudes toward death in an aged population. Journal of Gerontology, 1961, 16, 49–52.
