Death distress dimensions: Death anxiety, death depression, and death obsession

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associate professor of psychology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

2 Assistant professor of clinical psychology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

3 Assistant professor of educational sciences, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

4 Assistant professor of clinical psychology, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Death distress involved death anxiety, death depression and death obsession. The present study aimed to investigate the divergence and convergence between three dimensions of death distress.
Materials and Methods: In a correlational study, a sample of 339 university students was selected among male and female students of Payame Noor University of East Azarbaijan using stratified sampling method. Participants completed the Death Anxiety Scale (DAS), the Death Obsession scale (DOS) and the Death Depression Scale (DDS). Data were analyzed using explanatory factor analysis (EFA) as principal component analysis through Promax rotation.
Results:The pattern of factor loadings and Scree test suggested a three-factor structure death distress named death obsession, death depression and death anxiety. Eigen values of these factors were 13.4, 3.77 and 2.54 respectively. These three factors together explained 45.85% of the variance of death distress.
Conclusion: Death distress has a multidimensional structure termed death obsession, death depression and death anxiety.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Journal of Fundamentals of Mental Health
Volume 20, Issue 6
November and December 2018
Pages 341-348

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