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The principal purpose of this study was to compare similarities and differences in selected personal variables and death attitudes between university students enrolled in a death education course and students not enrolled in a death education course. Secondary attention was directed towards an analysis of the relationship of personal characteristics and death-related experiences with attitudes towards death. Three groups of university students, a death education-enrolled or completed group (n = 90), a death education-enrolled only subgroup (n = 47), and a non-enrolled control group (n = 46) were compared using the Health and Illness Survey. The HIS measures a wide range of variables including personal characteristics, death-related experiences and attitudes towards death. A correlational, ex post facto research design was utilized in order to compare the relationship of each of these variables with group membership. Additional correlational analyses were computed to reveal the degree of relationship between the personal variables and attitudes towards death. Findings revealed that the death education students reported experiencing their first significant personal involvement with death at a younger age, and desire more open discussion of death during childhood than the non enrolled comparison group. Death education students rated themselves significantly higher than the non death education students on present physical health and also on self esteem following completion of the HIS. With regard to the death attitudes findings, the death education-enrolled group reported higher levels of fear of personal death than those not enrolled. Additional results indicated that significant relationships did exist between death attitudes and several personal characteristics and death-related experiences. Particularly noteworthy were relationships indicating that a more favorable childhood environment regarding death-related experiences correlated with increased levels of coping with death and dying and decreased levels of fear of death and dying. Implications of these findings directed toward parents, counselors and educators were discussed, and recommendations were made to assist future research efforts in this area.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a time-limited support group for children who had recently experienced the death of a close family member. Research hypotheses were that children who participated in a support group would demonstrate significant decreases in adjustment problems related to the loss and that the specific reactions of death anxiety and guilt would be reduced. The study used a modified pretest-post-test control group design. The second experimental group (N = 11) acted as a control for the first group (N = 10), the experimental-treatment group. The treatment consisted of five sessions, each lasting an hour and a half. The instruments used were the Louisville Behavior Check List (LBCL), the Death Anxiety Scale (DAS), the Junior Manifest Anxiety Scale (JMAS), and the Guilt Scale (GS). An Analysis of Variance for repeated measures with post hoc testing was used. Results indicated that children who participated in a bereavement support group did not demonstrate significantly fewer adjustment problems, nor did they show significantly lowered anxiety and guilt. The results indicated that after a six week period participants in the support group did not increase in adjustment problems, anxiety and guilt. An evaluation questionnaire found that the majority of the participants responded positively to the group experience and wanted the group to continue. Limitations of the study were noted and recommendations for further investigation were made.

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Clinical Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

While a growing body of grief research focuses on how death affects the lives and the menatl well-being of survivors, death continues to be a mystery and the ultimate human crisis. Grief is now emerging as a concept of increasing significance for health care professionals and it is influencing the care doctors and nurses provide for dying patients and their families. A narrative inquiry format supports this phenomenological study of death and dying from the dual perspectives of the author's professional death experience as a nurse and her personal grief experiences as a daughter. Following the death experience the researcher's elderly father, the author examined grief and considered the grieving process form a phonomenological perspective which extends the scope of the stages of grief (Kubler-Ross, 1969) that are the most familiar to health care professionals. The narrative inquiry emphasizes the interrelatedness of various aspects associated with grief, including knowledge, advocacy, autonomy, support, and spirituality. The study articulates the connections between these aspects on professional and personal levels. The author also discusses trends that are influencing the increasing need for greater understanding of the care of the dying and the ability of the family and health care professionals to respond. Although the family retains an important role in end-of-life-care, in the decades ahead some of their responsiblities may shift to a more formal involvement that will influence the grieving process of the survivors. Whithin the phemonological framework of the researcher's death and dying experience, the author presents information, options, and coping strategies for those involved in such experiences. / xxi, 182 leaves ; 29 cm.

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Midwives working in labour wards usually have the pleasure of delivering a live baby and rejoicing with the mother. However, the delivery could become tragic for the mothers and midwives when the baby dies at birth due to pregnancy related complications. The result is that midwives have to render care and support to mothers who have lost their babies at birth. The objectives of this study were to explore and describe the experiences of midwives caring for mothers who have lost their babies at birth. A qualitative explorative, descriptive and contextual design was used to conduct this research study to gain an understanding of how the midwives experienced caring for mothers who have lost their babies at birth. A purposive criterion based non-probability sampling method was used. Ten semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect data. Ethical considerations were observed throughout the research study. Measures of trustworthiness were ensured by using credibility, transferability, dependability and conformability. Data analysis was done using Tesch’s method to make sense out of text and data. Four themes were identified, namely, Midwives shared their diverse experiences relating to caring for mothers who have lost their babies at birth; Midwives expressed how their personal values and beliefs influenced the ways they dealt with babies dying at birth; Midwives described the organizational values and beliefs related to death and dying and how this influences their own experiences and lastly Midwives provided suggestions regarding how they can be assisted in caring for mothers who have lost their babies at birth. Two main guidelines were developed based on the research findings and literature. The study concludes with recommendations made with regard to areas of nursing practice, education and research.

Only in the past two decades have adults become aware that terminally ill children do know at some level when they are dying. This research used a case study format to investigate the changes in how one child dying of leukemia viewed herself. Specifically, it looked for symbolic and emotional themes which emerged in the material, including Decathexis (separation) and Rebirth. Each of twenty-eight drawings created by this child was analyzed in-depth for content by the researcher. Convergent material from hospital records and a parent journal supplemented the stories and teacher notes accompanying the drawings. Six experts from three countries also categorized each drawing for images of Decathexis and Rebirth. Initially, themes of threats, dreams, trickery and intuition appeared along with fear and sadness. Once the child seemed to clearly understand that she would die, these changed to fading and distancing images, indicative of separation. There was a slight increase in images supporting themes of resignation and happiness. Physical deterioration and resistance appeared throughout the series as distortions of a girl and dilapidated and edged houses. Themes of a new home and travel also appeared throughout. The classification by experts according to Decathexis and Rebirth resulted in unanimous agreement on twenty-five per cent of the pictures and two thirds of the experts agreed on the placement of eighty-six per cent of the pictures. It would appear that on one level the child knew from the beginning that she would die, but at another level she resisted that knowledge for a time. As clear awareness of death was developing, defensive themes such as trickery and dreaming appeared in stories which accompanied the drawings. However, the images, themes and convergent material suggest that she reconciled the dual awareness levels and worked towards acceptance of her fate. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

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