Some reactions toward death among college students.

Certain thoughts, attitudes, and behavior reactions toward death that were found among college students in two midwestern universities were analyzed. In general, the data indicated that sex differences are not sharply enough differentiated to be considered very significant. The great majority of the 825 subjects reported that they think of their own death very rarely or only occasionally. Some of the special circumstances that caused the subjects most often to entertain thoughts of their own death are depressed mood, funeral services, misfortune or failure, an accident, gloomy days. Rarely did subjects picture themselves in imagination as dying or being dead. 21% reported that occasionally they are inclined to entertain thoughts of some specific disease which may cause their death, while 51% occasionally entertain thoughts of being killed in an accident. Almost 80% expressed a strong wish to live after death. Only 12% reported that they had a strong fear or horror of death. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)