LEVELS OF DEATH ANXIETY IN TERMINALLY ILL PERSONS - A CROSS-VALIDATION AND EXTENSION

In order to explore the viability of the distinction between overt and covert levels of death fear, 141 individuals (32 HIV positive who had full-blown AIDS, 39 HIV positive without full-blown AIDS, 70 age-matc hed controls) were administered measures of conscious and unconscious death anxiety as well as a variety of self-report scales assessing lif e satisfaction, well-being, regrets about one's rife, and hopelessness . While results suggested minimal differences to exist between the abo ve groups for measures of conscious death fear, there were substantive ; though in some respects, unanticipated differences across groups in aspects of covert fear tapping concerns about the interruption of goal s and achievements, isolation from others, and pain, disease, and suff ering. Results also suggested that there were bath adjustment-related advantages and disadvantages associated with the appearance of symptom s signaling the appearance of full-blown AIDS. Neither gender nor the duration of time one had been living with the diagnosis of either HIV disease or AIDS influenced death fear.