Discrepancies between direct and indirect measures of death anxiety disappear in old age.
Mixed findings have been reported on the relationship between death anxiety and aging. However, practically all research on death anxiety is based on self-report measures, reflecting conscious consideration. The aim of this study was to investigate death anxiety in young and middle-aged versus elderly adults using a psychometrically sound questionnaire as a direct measure and an emotional variant of the Stroop task as an indirect index of death anxiety. We found no difference between the age groups based on the questionnaire, whereas the Stroop results revealed interference of death-related words only for the younger age group. The absence of a discrepancy between direct and indirect measures in old people could be indicative of genuine acceptance of the inevitability of their own death.
De Raedt
Rudi
R
Department of Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. Rudi.DeRaedt@UGent.be
Van Der Speeten
Nele
N
D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D001293:Attitude to Death; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013016:Sound; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires