Nursing students' death anxiety and fear towards dementia patients.

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated the relationship between death anxiety (DA) and fear towards patients according to the age and illness of the patient.

METHODS

A sample of 94 undergraduate nursing students from an Australian university were presented with a hypothetical patient, who varied by age (29 years or 71 years) and illness (arthritis, cancer or dementia). They then completed measures of DA and fear towards the patient.

RESULTS

Older patients with dementia were associated with higher DA compared to all other conditions. Greater fear was associated with patients in the dementia target condition.

CONCLUSION

The findings from this study are consistent with terror management theory; specifically, older age and terminal illness are associated with greater DA. Implications are discussed regarding the quality of care provided to older people with dementia.