Abstract
Research has shown that many people are uncomfortable discussing end-of-life care and death. Popular opinion polls have supported these findings as many respondents rank death as their most avoided discussion topic. Findings have indicated that many have not shared their end-of-life care preferences with even their closest family and friends. However, other research suggests discussions about death can be good for health and well-being. In order to understand this phenomenon better, we conducted a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of a death awareness workshop in promoting healthy behaviors and death anxiety.
Data from 89 participants in the Life, Death, and Legacy study were used to address our research focus. Implementing a Pretest-Posttest randomized experimental design, the control group completed an individual writing assignment about a fear-inducing topic (becoming quadriplegic). The treatment group attended a two-hour workshop that included discussion topics such as aging, mortality, and relationships. ANCOVA was used to compare group differences on a number of outcomes measuring health behaviors and anxiety about death. Significant differences were found between groups on post-test scores. The treatment group reported less fear of death, less aversion to the topic of death, and higher scores in healthy nutrition attitudes. These statistically significant differences were detected both within the treatment group and in comparison to the control group. In summary, our findings suggest talking about death can be helpful in terms of assuaging fear and anxiety about death. These findings have important implications for practice in hospice and palliative care settings.