The Effect of an Instructional Module on Death and Dying on the Death Anxiety of Emergency Medical Technician Trainees

Abstract

This study was designed to determine whether an instructional unit on death and dying during an emergency medical technician (EMT) course can reduce death anxiety in EMT trainees. Participants were voluntarily enrolled in EMT courses; two intact classes were randomly assigned as treatment groups and two as comparison groups. A pre-test was administered to all participants at the beginning of the study. Treatment groups then participated in a nine-hour instructional module on death and dying. All participants were given a post-test immediately after the instruction and a delayed-test eight weeks later. There were no significant differences between groups on pre-, post-, or delayed-tests. While death anxiety generally decreased in both groups, the disengagement factor decreased only in the comparison group. Death education apparently had no more influence on death anxiety than other selected variables.