Clarifying the Measurement of Death Attitudes: A Factor Analytic Evaluation of Fifteen Self-Report Death Scales

Abstract

A factor analysis of a representative population of fifteen death scales completed by 350 college students uncovered five orthogonal death-attitude factors. These factors were named Negative Evaluation of Death, Reluctance to Interact with the Dying, Negative Reaction to Pain, Reaction to Reminders of Death, and Preoccupation with Thoughts of Dying. These results support thanatological theory that death attitudes are multidimensional, that is, multiple death attitudes do co-exist and co-vary within individuals. The major implication of these findings concerns the need to differentiate and measure these separate death attitudes effectively.