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Abstract
The study examines the relation of death experience to death attitudes and to autobiographical memory use. Participants (N = 52) completed standard death attitude measures and wrote narratives about a death-related autobiographical memory and (for comparison) a memory of a low point. Self-ratings of the memory narratives were used to assess their functional use. Results show that higher levels of experience with death were related to lower levels of death anxiety and avoidance. Participants with higher levels of death experience also more frequently used their death-related memories to serve adaptive functions.
Notes
Note. Novices (n = 27), Experienced (n = 25). t test for unequal variances conducted. Groups did not differ by age or by number of personal losses experienced.
∗∗∗p < .001.
Note. Standardized regression coefficients result from a linear regression analysis of the Death Anxiety Scale (DAS).
∗p < .05.
The data collection for this project was completed by Ashley Hux and funded as part of the University of Florida University Scholars Program. We also very much appreciate the support of the hospice organizations in North Central Florida who partnered with us to complete this research.