THE EFFECTS OF DEATH EDUCATION ON DEATH ANXIETY - A METAANALYSIS

This study used meta-analytic procedures to examine sixty-two outcome research investigations of the effects of death education on death anx iety. An overall mean effect size of .287 suggests that participants w ho completed death education interventions reported higher death anxie ty than did members of no-treatment control conditions. Didactic death education interventions were found to produce significantly greater i ncreases in death anxiety than experiential interventions. Contrary to earlier research, death education does not appear to be an effective means of lowering death anxiety. These results provide a basis for pra ctical recommendation in altering and shifting the focus and compositi on of death education.