The development of the concept of death in children aged 5–9 years

105 children aged between 5 and 9 years were questioned on their concept of death following the reading of a story about an old lady who died. The results were analysed in terms of the components of the concept and it was shown that almost all had fully developed notions by the age of 8 or 9 years. Approximately 60% of the 5-year-olds had a complete or almost complete concept. The results are discussed in the light of clinical practice.