title: [Attitude to death and changes of death image in Hungarian society. Study of the differences in generational value-judgments and of the possibilities of measurement. Is death still a taboo?].
abstract: The aim of our research is to examine the sociological, anthropological, and psychological aspects of attitudes towards death; review the different approaches as a complex system; present the altered death image and the changes of tendency; analyze and interpret the most significant anxiety generating factors according to gender, age, and occupation; validate the fear of death and attitudes towards death scales in the Hungarian population; review the possibilities of interventions designed to reduce anxiety generating fear of death. Our hypotheses of our quantitative research were the following: women are characterized by a marked fear of death and anxiety; young people are more afraid of death; health care workers have a higher level death anxiety in comparison to other professionals due to the fact that they are face the suddenness and inevitability of death on daily basis, and this itself is an anxiety generating factor. We validated, adapted and calibrated two psychometric scales measuring fear of death and attitudes towards death. According to our findings, both the Neimeyer and Moore Multidimensional Fear of Death Scale and the Lester Attitude Toward Death Scale proved valid and suitable for measuring fear of death and attitudes towards death. The Hungarian version of the scales proved reliable. In accordance with our hypothesis, young people and women are characterized by higher level of fear of death and anxiety. Our hypothesis, namely that fear of death among health care workers higher as the normal population, was not confirmed. Yet, contrary to a segment of preceding measurements, lower level of fear and anxiety was found.
authors.affiliation: Semmelweis Egyetem Mentális Egészségtudományok Doktori Iskola Budapest Nagyvárad tér 4. 1089. zanagi@net.sote.hu
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zana
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001293:Attitude to Death; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D003645:Death, Sudden; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012945:Social Values; D013609:Taboo; D055815:Young Adult