Ethnic differences in death anxiety among the elderly

The Dickstein Death Concern Scale was used to examine the death anxieties of a sample of elderly people in north and central Florida consisting of whites and blacks, males and females. Analysis of the data revealed that black elderly males display the greatest death anxiety, followed in decreasing order by black females, white females, and white males. Analysis of variance yielded a statistically significant main effect attributable to race. The overall effects attributed to sex were not significant, nor were there any significant interactions. The implications of these findings for practicing counselors were considered.