Examination of death anxiety, death preparedness behaviors, and life satisfaction in individuals sixty years of age and older.

Abstract

The concept of death anxiety has been studied in relation to many factors including life satisfaction. However, no previous research has included these factors and their relationship with death preparation behaviors. This research project investigates the relationship between death anxiety, life satisfaction, and death preparation behaviors in a sample of elderly individuals (n = 55). A significant difference between men and women regarding life satisfaction was produced. More specifically, female participants within the age range of 76 through 85+ reported higher life satisfaction than the males of both age groups and the females age 60 through 75. Though not significant the women from both age groups in the sample reported less death anxiety than the men; these results contradict the results of previous studies regarding death anxiety and sex. The examination of death preparation behaviors yielded no significance. However, women appear to participate in death preparation behaviors more than men of the same age.