Examined obituaries published in metropolitan newspaper during the 8 weeks centering on Christmans. Results showed significant death dip immediately prior to Christmas and significant death surge immediately thereafter. Second study on actual death dates of eminent Americans, yielded the same general pattern of results and revealed that…

Assessed whether nonbereaved people could accurately imagine the experience of recent bereavement, especially following different causes of death. There were no significant differences between real and imagined groups. People could accurately imagine most bereavement experiences but could not picture the long-term social isolation of suicidally…

Examined individuals differing in sex, age, profession, eminence and fame, and historical period for presence of the birthday-deathday phenomenon. Found a decrease in probability of death with approaching birthday followed by an increase in most males. Females showed an initial rise in probability of death with approaching birthday, followed by a…

A total of 399 individuals completed a lethal behaviors scale and a measure of death anxiety, which were found to have no significant correlation. Predictors of lethalness included doing dangerous things for the fun of it and having ever driven a motorcycle. The most lethal individuals were young, male, and less educated. (Author/ABL)

Discusses Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and the family's resultant grief process. Explores SIDS as a family crisis, and by identifying the psychological factors or tasks pertinent to family adjustment, proposes a SIDS Family Adjustment Scale which assists in recognizing adaptive and maladaptive grief responses. (Author)

Investigated key variables associated with death anxiety and belief in afterlife among college students (N=181). Results supported the notion that belief in afterlife is primarily a function of religion and not directly a correlate of fear of death. Church attendance was found to be significantly related to both. (JAC)

Administered Templer Death Anxiety Scale and Mood Scale to 52 college students. Subjects were shown neutral videotape, videotape of death scenes, and neutral videotape. Before and after each videotape, participants completed Mood Scale. Found initial level of death anxiety to be significant predictor of changes in, and overall levels of,…

Examined the influence of sex and age on death anxiety in 165 male and 95 female homosexuals who completed the Death Anxiety Scale. Results showed gay males and females had almost identical DAS scores. No relationship was found between age and death anxiety. (JAC)

Investigated impact of four metaphysical beliefs (existence of God, attributes of God, afterlife, consequences of suffering) on death anxiety. Householders (n=120), one-half of whom lived in high exposure to death sight areas, responded to pictures depicting death and nondeath scenes to measure death anxiety. Subjects from low exposure areas…

Examined relationship between self-esteem and reported mourning behavior as it pertains to loneliness in young adults who, as children, had experienced parental death. Subjects (N=184) aged 18 to 25 completed four questionnaires. Revealed that self-esteem was the single best predictor of loneliness; reported mourning behaviors significantly added…

Examined relationship between multiple role involvements and adjustment to conjugal bereavement in surviving spouses (N=49). Data indicated a significant positive correlation between number of roles reported and adjustment score. The self-report behavioral measure of role involvements was a better predictor of adjustment than was sex, age, elapsed…

Tested Bugen's Coping with Death Scale. Individuals who had written wills, planned estates and funerals, and signed organ donor cards scored higher on the Coping with Death Scale. Because Coping with Death scores were more consistently different in those who prepared for death, this scale may help in efforts to predict those who will engage in…

Hospice patient/family volunteers responded to personality questionnaires prior to training and to measures of death understanding and coping before and after training. Results showed that the volunteers were relatively low in anxiety, internally controlled, and empathetic before training. Following training, volunteers reported better…

Examined quantification of time remaining and perceived distance from death among 568 older men and women. A substantial proportion (49 percent) didn't quantify the remaining portion of life, and age did not prompt specification of time remaining. Demographic characteristics predicted perceived distance from death better than life changes or sex.…