Researchers have demonstrated death anxiety in nursing professionals; however, it is unclear as to when this anxiety develops. This study used a multidimensional measure to investigate death anxiety in a group of experienced (n = 53) and inexperienced (n = 49) nursing students and a control group of non-nursing students (n = 50). Experienced nursing students reported significantly more fear of the dying process than inexperienced nursing students and controls whereas both experienced and inexperienced nursing students reported more fear of the unknown than controls. The results suggest that death anxiety may develop early in a nurse's training.

The NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO PI-R) measures normal personality characteristics and has demonstrated appropriate score reliability and validity. It is normed for two groups of individuals, college-age individuals 17 to 20 years old and adults 21 and older. Often, personality instruments normed on older individuals have been used with adolescent populations. To examine the appropriateness of this decision, the current study explored the differences between an adolescent sample (n = 79) and a college-age sample (n = 80) on the 30 facets and the five domains of the NEO PI-R. Group differences on the facet and domain scales were analyzed using descriptive discriminant analysis. Results indicated that the adolescent and college groups differed on each of the five domains. As expected, the groups also scored differently using the aggregated domain-level variables as the outcome measures. Suggestions for future research include the development of normative data for the adolescent population.

This study investigates the relationship between death anxiety and denial scale scores of persons employed in death-risk (DRG), death-exposure (DEG), or low-risk (CG) occupations. Participants were active duty military (DRG), health care providers (DEG), and college students (CG). Death anxiety instruments selected were Hoelter's Multidimensional Fear of Death Scale (MFODS) and Templer's Death Anxiety Scale (DAS). Spielberger's Rationality/Emotional Defensiveness (R/ED) Scale was the denial measure. The two death anxiety scales were positively correlated ( p = .001). There was no significant difference between groups on the MFODS nor the DAS. There was an inverse correlation between death anxiety and denial measures; the correlation was significant for the health care providers (DEG). Gender effect does not explain these differences. While age and occupational measures are confounded in this research design, additional analyses yielded similar findings ( r = –.337, p = .01). The results are interpreted according to perceptual control theory.