Death anxiety among nursing home residents: a comparison of the young-old and the old-old.
The purpose of this research was (a) to determine whether there is a comparative difference in the level of conscious death anxiety between young-old and the old-old nursing home residents and (b) to assess the predictive value of educational attainment, gender, subjective health, functional ability, social support, and length of stay on the conscious death anxiety of the persons in the two age groups. A discriminant analysis of 228 residents from three nursing homes revealed that among the 103 young-old subjects poor subjective health, poor functional ability, poor social support, and extended stays in the facilities were indicative of high death anxiety. Among the 125 old-old subjects, high death anxiety was associated with poor subjective health, poor functional ability, and higher educational attainment. Further, it was found that age was an important variable. A significantly greater proportion of the older residents compared to the younger residents had higher conscious death anxiety. The results may direct practitioners and planners in program development for the elderly nursing home patient.
D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001007:Anxiety; D001293:Attitude to Death; D003237:Connecticut; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology*; D014768:Virginia