Developing a death literacy index

Abstract

Performing end-of-life care can be a catalyst for developing a capacity called death literacy. This study aimed to develop a comprehensive and useable measure of death literacy that has the potential to assess interventions with individuals, communities, and societies. Using a mixed methods approach, a Death Literacy Index was developed from personal narratives and input from practitioners and experts. Refined on a sample of 1330 Australians using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, a 29-item Death Literacy Index was found to be reliable and demonstrated construct validity. Further studies are needed to test predictive validity.

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the contribution of our research participants and the excellent support provided by research assistant, Helen Psychogios.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a grant from the J.O. & J.R. Wicking Trust (The Wicking Trust) and The Groundswell Project.