Centre for Policy on Ageing



Fear of death in older adults — predictions from terror management theory
Author(s)	Victor G Cicirelli
Journal title	Journals of Gerontology: Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, vol 57B, no 4, July 2002
Pages	pp P358-P366
Keywords	Death ; Anxiety ; Attitude ; Black people ; White people ; Social surveys ; United States of America.
Annotation	Terror management theory asserts that death fear (fear of annihilation) is buffered by self-esteem and beliefs in literal and symbolic immortality achieved through participation in the cultural system. This study aimed to determine how variables suggested by the theory were related to fear of death measures. Participants were 123 Black and 263 White older Americans aged 60 to 100; they were assessed on the Multidimensional Fear of Death Scale (MFODS), self-esteem, religiosity, locus of control, socio-economic status, social support, and health. Regression analysis findings offered partial support to the theory, with greater fear of the unknown related to weaker religiosity, less social support, and greater externality; the effect of self-esteem was mediated by externality. Other predictors were related to an overall fear score based on the remaining 7 MFODS subscales. Findings are interpreted in terms of changing sources of self-esteem in old age. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-020904202 A
Classmark	CW: ENP: DP: TKE: TKA: 3F: 7T
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing

...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.