Does Superstition Help? A Study of the Role of Superstitions and Death Beliefs on Death Anxiety Amongst Chinese Undergraduates in Hong Kong

Wong, Shui Hung

doi:10.2190/om.65.1.d

Cited by 15 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…The dimension also revealed that individuals’ might perceive POD as an inauspicious or a disturbing act to the dead. These perceptions may be related to the deeply rooted traditional death beliefs as well as one’s superstitions that individuals who have such perceptions may also have higher death anxiety as suggested in the past research (Wong, 2012). In addition, the Mutilation and Imperfectness dimension was found strongly correlated with the Detachment dimension, that being detached might also be a way of coping to avoid the emotional exhaustion in dealing with the concerns about organ donation (Sonnentag, Kuttler, & Fritz, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

A Validation Study of the Posthumous Organ Donation Reasoned Action Scale

Wong

Chow

2018

Omega (Westport)

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The posthumous organ donation reasoned action scale (PODRAS) may be the first multidimensional scale measuring individuals’ perceptions, which is developed based on the Theory of Reasoned Action and guided by empirical data. This study moves further to validate the scale and examine its psychometric properties. Two hundred and twenty-one university students participated in the study. Results suggested that the scale has a structure with six dimensions: Mutilation and Imperfectness, Legacy for Family, Altruism, Detachment, Eradication of Hope, and Burden on Family. The scale was evaluated with acceptable to good psychometric properties and model fit (χ2/ df = 1.58; root mean square error of approximation = .07; standardized root mean square residual = .08; comparative fit index = .92; incremental fit index = .92; Tucker–Lewis index = .90). Construct validity was also supported. The study has significant contributions that theoretically, the scale proposed a conceptualization framework in understanding posthumous organ donation, whereas methodologically, the scale serves as a tool that facilitates future studies of organ donation behaviors.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

A Validation Study of the Posthumous Organ Donation Reasoned Action Scale

Wong

Chow

2018

Omega (Westport)

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“…Whereas South Asians, Chinese, and Latinx tend to express more explicit emotions, such as crying, than Whites (Inman et al, 2007;Neimeyer et al, 2003;Oltjenbruns, 1998). Chinese individuals may also exhibit higher death-related anxiety levels and are more superstitious than Whites or other ethnic minorities (Neimeyer et al, 2003;Wong, 2012). Superstition requires behaviors and beliefs that function within the realm of supernatural forces (Corsini, 2002).…”

Section: Ethnic-cultural Differencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Bereavement among College Students: Implications for Practice and Research

Shea

Bistricean

2022

IDE

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The experience of losing a first-degree family member, followed by a second-degree family, and a close friend is prevalent among college students. Bereavement affects student success as they must balance grief and academics. Culture also influences the expression and experience of grief, making it essential to understand grief and bereavement in context. The recent COVID-19 global pandemic has exacerbated the experience of loss and grief among college students, which warrants a better understanding and intervention for disenfranchised grief. Social and emotional support for disenfranchised grief is not always provided, as this type of grief is often socially unsanctioned. The lack of support and understanding could make it difficult for individuals with disenfranchised grief to cope with the demands of higher education and bereavement process. Counseling implications for how universities and colleges could intervene on the bereaved student's behalf are discussed.

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“…Regarding cultural context, death is a fearful subject in East Asia due to traditions such as shamanistic ancestor worship, Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. East Asian people tend to be reluctant to bring up issues of death and loss for fear of invoking bad luck (Holland, 2008;Lee, Kim, Choi, & Koo, 2014;Wong, 2012Wong, -2013. Such sociocultural contexts may prevent researchers from closely investigating young children's understanding of concepts related to death and bereavement.…”

Section: Research On Children's Understanding Of Death and Lossmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Sociocultural Approach to Children’s Perceptions of Death and Loss

Yang

Park

2017

Omega (Westport)

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By employing the phenomenographic approach, the present study explored children's cognitive understanding of and emotional responses to death and bereavement. Participants included 52 Korean, 16 Chinese, and 16 Chinese American children ages 5-6. Thematic analysis of children's drawings and open-ended interviews revealed that most children associated death with negative emotions such as fear, anxiety, and sadness. The majority of children used realistic expressions to narrate death. The core themes from their drawings included causes for death, attempts to stop the dying, and situations after death. This study contributes to the literature by targeting young children who have been relatively excluded in death studies and provides evidence in the usefulness of drawings as a developmentally appropriate data collection tool. The findings also enrich our knowledge about children's understanding of death and bereavement, rooted in the inductive analysis of empirical data with children from culturally diverse backgrounds.

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Does Superstition Help? A Study of the Role of Superstitions and Death Beliefs on Death Anxiety Amongst Chinese Undergraduates in Hong Kong

Cited by 15 publications

References 42 publications

A Validation Study of the Posthumous Organ Donation Reasoned Action Scale

A Validation Study of the Posthumous Organ Donation Reasoned Action Scale

Understanding Bereavement among College Students: Implications for Practice and Research

A Sociocultural Approach to Children’s Perceptions of Death and Loss

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