• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.299-307
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to investigate mediated effect of spirituality on the relationship between perceived burdensomeness and death anxiety among the elderly. According to the result of this study, it was learned that perceived burdensomeness of aged people has significant correlations with a path of perceived burdensomeness to death anxiety, a path of spirituality to death anxiety and a path of perceived burdensomeness to spirituality. In short, higher perceived burdensomeness results in higher death anxiety, and higher spirituality lowers the death anxiety. This refers that perceived burdensomeness is predictor of death anxiety. In addition, it also indicates that mediated effect of spirituality has significant correlations with both full/partial mediator models - partial mediator model supposes both direct and indirect paths that differ from the way of perceived burdensomeness influences on death anxiety, while full mediator model supposes only indirect path. The result of this study suggests practical proposal to promote the quality of living of the elderly by reducing perceived burdensomeness that stimulates death anxiety and giving opportunity for experiencing spirituality to cope with death anxiety.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.334-343
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• 2013

This study was conducted to examine the readiness for death and death anxiety among hospitalized cancer patients. A convenience sample of 183 cancer patients admitted to four hospitals in Korea was recruited for this study. Data were collected in 2010. Collected data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. The mean scores of readiness for death and death anxiety were 1.99(${\pm}0.69$) and 2.21(${\pm}0.59$) out of 4, respectively. 'Psychological readiness' showed the highest mean score among the death anxiety domains, and 'dying process' had the highest mean score among the death anxiety domains. No statistically significant correlation was found between readiness for death and death anxiety. Readiness for death was statistically significantly different according to age, afterlife beliefs, stage of cancer, duration of disease, and number of symptoms. Death anxiety showed significant difference according to faith in God and afterlife beliefs. Distress in the process of dying needs to be managed for cancer patients and spiritual interventions should be considered to relieve death anxiety.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.80-89
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• 2013

Purpose: We investigated how intensive care unit (ICU) nurses understand the meaning of death, death anxiety, death concern and respect for life. Methods: From November 2009 through February 2010, a survey was conducted on 230 nurses working at the ICU of 10 general hospitals located in Seoul and Gyeonggi province. Participants were asked to answer a questionnaire consisted of 67 questions under four categories of the meaning of death, death anxiety, death concern and respect for life. Results: Participants scored 4.27 points on their understanding of the meaning of death, 4.43 on death anxiety, 4.12 on death concern and 4.18 on respect for life. Participants' meaning of death was negatively correlated with death anxiety and death concern and positively with respect for life. Participants' positive meaning of death was negatively correlated with death anxiety and death concern and positively with respect for life. Participants' negative meaning of death was negatively correlated with death anxiety and death concern and positively with respect for life. Participants' death anxiety was positively correlated with death concern and negatively with respect for life. Participants' death concern was negatively correlated with respect for life. Conclusion: Compared with nurses who served at ICU for a long time, nurses with less ICU experience scored lower on the meaning of death and respect for life, while they presented high anxiety and concern about death. A training course may help nurses develop their view on the meaning of death, which in turn would enhance their performance in caring dying patients.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.217-230
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• 1999

This study examined children's death anxiety by religion, previous death experience and the effectiveness of a death education program. Half of the subjects 60 nine-year-old elementary school subjects were assigned to the experimental group and half were assigned to the control group. The 6-week death education program for the experimental group included literature, role play, and discussion. A questionnaire and death anxiety scale for children were administered to all subjects. After the educational program, there was a significant difference in death anxiety scores, between the experimental and control groups. However, children's religion and previous experience with death had no significant relationship to their death anxiety or effectiveness of the death education program.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.46-55
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• 2021

Purpose: This pilot study aimed to examine the influence of death counseling on perceptions, preparedness, and anxiety regarding death and dying among family caregivers of hospice patients. Methods: Death counseling developed based on the SPIKES model was provided to 37 family caregivers in a hospice and palliative care unit. Perceptions, preparedness, and anxiety regarding death were assessed with a self-administered structured questionnaire, and participants' scores before and after counseling were compared using the paired t-test. Results: Significant changes were found in perceptions, preparedness, and anxiety regarding death after counseling. Compared to before counseling, the scores for perceptions of death (t=-4.90, P<0.001) and preparedness for death and dying (t=-16.23, P<0.001) improved, while anxiety (t=3.72, P=0.001) decreased after counseling. Some changes were also found in the types of support that family caregivers needed to prepare for the death of their family members in the hospice care unit. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that death counseling could help family caregivers prepare for the death of their loved ones. Hospice and palliative care providers should play a key role in supporting family caregivers of hospice patients by developing strategies for counseling.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.513-521
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analysis the effect of death preparing education on death anxiety, spiritual well-being and meaning of life in adults. Methods: This study adapted the one group pre-posttest design. Data collection and intervention were performed from January 19 to 25, 2009. The participants were 30 adults (aged 20 or older) from Jeonju City. The death preparing education program consisted of five steps. Data were analyzed through paired t-test with SPSS/WIN 12.0 program. Results: There were significant differences in death anxiety, spiritual well-being and meaning of life between before and after the death preparing education program. Conclusion: The death preparing education program for adults was confirmed to be an effective intervention to lower death anxiety and to improve spiritual well-being and the meaning of life. Therefore, I look forward to broad application of this program to adults.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.243-255
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• 2012

This study is intended to find out the effect and differences of individual characteristic of the death attitude on death anxiety. The college students who study in the area of Chonan, Yongin, and Asan and the adults who live in the area of Chonan and Asan enrolled for this study. We analyzed the survey data from 325 responses finally. The results are summarized in three ways: First, adults are more positive than college students, religious people are more positive than nonreligious people, female are more positive than male, and married people are more positive than unmarried people in the death attitude. Second, college students are more positive than adults, nonreligious people are more positive than religious people, female are more positive than male, and unmarried people are more positive than married people in the death anxiety. Third, there is a correlation between the death anxiety and the death attitude. The fear on death has negative correlation on all subvariables of the death anxiety. Avoidance on death has positive correlation on the physical change anxiety, and openness on death has positive correlation on the cognitive and affective anxiety. Finally, It showed that the death attitude are affected by the death anxiety. The death anxiety was not much, if the fear on death are more little, the death anxiety was much, if the avoidance on death are much.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.89-102
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• 1990

The research is a comparative study of death attitudes between male and female elderly people. There is no doubt as to the inevitability of death. And yet, there is a vast conspiracy involved in the word of dead or death. The aged are considered to be nearer death than are people in other age groups. Kalish(1976) emphasized that for the aged two meanings of death have significance for evaluating their life ; first, that older people are known to have a limited life time and face death ; second that older people are known to have suffered many death-imposed losses that are often associated with the dying process. In considering these implications, the level of anxiety regarding death and dying is a crucial factor in determining mental health. In the study, 152 male elderly and 145 female elderly residing in Seoul, Korea was compared on the four dimensions of death anxiety and assigned personal variables. Therefore, the purpose the research was (1) to examine the characteristics of subjects on the independent variables(age, marital status, family relationship, social activities, religiousity etc.) ; (2) to examine the relationship between the independent variables and each dimension of death axniety ; (3) to determine the proportion of variance in the respective of death anxiety which is accounted for by the respective independent variables ; (4) to examine whether a significant difference between the respective independent variables and each dimension of death anxiety has ; (5) to determine the combination of variables which is the most successful in explaining the variance in death anxiety. Finding from this study support the following conclusions; 1. There was a significant differences between the male and female subjects in the level of death anxiety. In turn, the male older adults had lower death anxiety than did the female elderly. This implies that male tend to look forward to death rather than deny it. 2. As there was evidences from several studies, this research found that fear of death decreases as age increases. 3. The following two variables that correlate best with dying anxiety of others in both male and female older adults : 'marriage life', 'social interaction'. 4. The variables 'age' and 'children' for both female and male elderly accounted for the most variance in death anxiety of self. The findings of the study lend this investigator several suggestions, implications and recommendations for future research. There can be no death without life, and conversely, no life without death. Psychologists and health-related professionals may be learn as much about death as they can in order to develop more healthy attitudes and in order to be able to better aid and comfort dying people and their familities. Perhaps most importantly, professionals may be help those who are not faced with death at present to develop an understanding of it and healthy attitudes toward it. The programs of death education are needed for dedication to the evitability of death and the preparation of life for the older adults. More seminars, symposiums and research on death attitudes are needed. Finally, study for female older adults has been negelected topic in the areas of women's study and health education. Future study, for female elderly, have to deeply investigate where those problems come from and how to cope with in order to the female elderly segment can live the rest of their lives in satisfaction with well-being.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.107-120
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors influencing death anxiety, hospices knowledge, and attitude towards end-of-life care among paramedic students. Methods: A self-reported questionnaire was completed by 196 paramedic students in D university college in J city from November 2011 to November 2014. The study instruments included death anxiety, hospices knowledge, and attitude towards end-of-life care. Data were analyzed by t test, ANOVA, post hoc $Scheff{\acute{e}}$ test, Pearson's correlation test, and stepwise multiple regression analysis using SPSS v. 20.0. Results: According to a stepwise regression on the factors influencing attitudes towards end-of-life care, 80.4% of variance (F=161.360, p<.001) was explained by experience of death, hospices knowledge, disappearance of death anxiety, satisfaction with relationships (${\geq}2$) and student attitude toward end-of-life care. In addition, 44.1% of the variance (F=39.434, p<.001) was explained by experience of death, satisfaction with relationship(${\leq}4$), warning of others about death anxiety, and family attitude towards end-of-life care. Conclusion: The attitude towards end-of-life care was influenced by hospices knowledge and death anxiety in paramedic students. It is necessary to provide training in understanding attitudes towards death anxiety and end-of-life care. An effective educational program should be developed and implemented among paramedic students to improve their awareness of death and anxiety hospices knowledge.

• The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.101-110
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was a descriptive research study that investigates nurses' beliefs concerning death anxiety and spirituality. Method: The subjects were 150 nurses working at general hospitals located in Busan city. Data collection was carried out from October 15 to November 30, 2008. The study used a 'Death Anxiety Scale' and a 'Korean Spirituality Scale.' The collected data was analyzed for frequency, percentage, t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation coefficient with the SPSS/WIN 17.0. Result: The level of death anxiety of the subjects averaged 3.25. In each sub-factor, 'awareness of shortness of time' was the highest at 3.57 points. Spirituality level of the subjects averaged 3.51. In each sub-factor, meaning and purpose of life was the highest at 3.70 points. In differences of death anxiety followed by general characteristics, there were significant differences according to age, and educational level. For spirituality, followed by general characteristics, there were significant differences according to age, educational level, religion, working period, and understanding about death and spirituality. There was a weak inverse correlation among fear for accidents involved with death, total spirituality level and meaning, and purpose of life. Conclusion: Future research should examine relations between nurses' death anxiety and spirituality level through random sampling and research to check psychological and social variables that influence death anxiety and spirituality. Development of a program to lessen nurses' death anxiety and to raise their spirituality level would be prudent.