Philippine E-Journals

Finding the Missing Pieces: The Impact of Spirituality on the Death Anxiety Experienced by Elderly Individuals

Christian E. Jordan

 

Abstract:

This empirically driven research utilized a descriptive-correlational design to examine the impact of spirituality and demographic profiles on the death anxiety experienced by elderly individuals. A total of 300 senior citizens composed of 150 males and 150 females participated in the study. The measures used were Pen Portrait which surfaced the demographic information of the respondents, Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale (DSES), and Templer’s Death Anxiety Scale (TDAS). The internal consistencies of the measures which were 0.91 for DSES and 0.76 for TDAS signified that all of the instruments indicated good reliability. The study revealed that there is a significant impact of spirituality on death anxiety. This factor could direct elderly individuals to reduce their anxiety towards death by enhancing their positive self-belief and re-evaluating their spiritual experience.