RELATIONSHIPS AMONG DEATH ANXIETY, COMMUNICATION APPREHENSION WITH THE DYING, AND EMPATHY IN THOSE SEEKING OCCUPATIONS AS NURSES AND PHYSICIANS

In light of the modern phenomenon of increased institutionalized death s occurring in hospitals and in nursing homes, much of recent death at titude research has focused on health professionals. The present study explored possible relationships among measures of death anxiety, comm unication apprehension with the dying, and empathy in undergraduate nu rsing, premedical, and control subjects. Main effects for year in scho ol indicated that seniors scored lower than freshmen on communication apprehension with dying. The multivariate effects for field of study w ere also significant, with univariate results indicating that nursing students scored lower than controls on communication apprehension with the dying.