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As students gradually return to P-12 classrooms in the United States during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, they will have faced and been inundated with images of death at unprecedented levels. Teachers, administrators, and other school personnel will be challenged with assisting students in processing these encounters with death. While death education is no longer a formal component of the American curriculum, death education took on a prominent role in the curriculum during its "Period of Popularity" from 1968-1977. Lessons from this period can help guide educators in bringing back needed components of death education to P-12 classrooms today.

This paper discusses death education from an Hegelian perspective, with the aim to generate insights to complement existing literature on death education. Three Hegelian elements are identified. The first is the natural view, that is, death is a natural phenomenon. The second is the moral view, that is, death is significant in contributing to the ethical life and no individuals have the right to end their own life. The third is the ontological view, that is, the life-and-death struggles for recognition raises individuals' consciousness, and death transforms the divine into universal and enables the ultimate realization of the spirit to Absolute Knowing.

Robert Fulton was Professor of Sociology (Emeritus) at the University of Minnesota. In 1969, he founded and directed the Center for Death Education and Research at the University of Minnesota. Upon...

This study endeavors to investigate how healthcare workers, equipped with expressive arts methods, could foster life-death education for the elderly. Forty-nine older adults aged 60 or above joined a 10-session expressive arts-based life-death education program that was led by social workers equipped with expressive arts methods. An ethnographic research approach, with a post-treatment focus group (

The U.S. has the highest number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases and deaths of any nation. Deaths due to COVID-19, especially among older adults and people of color, have created an urgency for advanced care planning (ACP). Despite benefits of ACP, only one-third of U.S. adults have completed advance directives, in part due to a lack of death education. We recommend four actions to increase death education and ACP completion: (1) integrate death education into teacher preparation programs, (2) incorporate death education in undergraduate curricula, (3) provide better education in death and dying to future health professionals, and (4) educate the public.

This study sets out to address a gap in research into teachers’ attitudes and opinions toward death education. To meet this objective, two complementary instruments were designed and validated: the Death Education Attitudes Scale-Teachers (DEAS-T), which showed suitable psychometric values, and the Death Education Questionnaire-Teachers (DEQ-T). The sample comprised 683 teachers from a range of schools. The results show moderately positive attitudes toward death education. Variables such as gender, age, type of teacher, and religious beliefs all influenced results. The findings argue in favor of the inclusion of death in education and teacher training, This work was supported by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) (Spain) and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) under Grant [EDU2017- 85,296-R]., Gobierno de España. EDU2017-. 85296-R

J. William Worden is a clinical psychologist with academic appointments at Harvard University Medical School and the Rosemead School of Psychology in California. The Association for Death Education...

The author uses a developmental model of nonprofit organizations (Simon, 2001) to examine the history, current status, and future prospects of the Association for Death Education and Counseling on the occasion of its 40th anniversary as a professional society. Borrowing from the work of Richard Rohr (2011) on second half of life wisdom, the author suggests that such maturity represents the association’s best pathway to consolidating its accomplishments to date and sustaining continued growth in the future. Eight aspirational goals are proposed for ensuring reinvigoration of ADEC members as individual death professionals and of the association as a collective body.

Death metaphors are a meaningful way to understand personal perceptions of death, an important construct affecting how people live. This study collected death metaphor data among 100 university students in Hong Kong in 2016 and compared the findings with another study reported in 2004. Interpersonally oriented death metaphors were still popular among students a decade later. There was a general decrease in positive perception of death and an increase in negative perception of death from 2004 to 2016. Death metaphors are useful tools in death education programs, especially in cultures where death is a taboo topic.

Hannelore Wass's enduring contribution to the field of thanatology focused on death education In addition to developing a journal initially focused on that topic, Wass also created one of the first text books in the field. This article explores the factors that caused death education to emerge in the late 1960s as well as issues that death education still faces as it continues to evolve.

As a strong proponent of death education, Dr. Hannelore Wass was a respected pioneer in the field of thanatology. She had a philosophy that, in order to effectively work with grieving children and adolescents, one must be like and think like a child; indeed, to see things through the eyes of a child. This article demonstrates the far-reaching effects of Wass's work beyond her students to another generation of educators.

As an educator, Hannelore Wass had a major influence on young professionals who were teaching in the field of thanatology. She influenced new professors by mentoring and providing an exceptional example of a compassionate, competent professional in the fields of thanatology and educational methodology. As a strong advocate for death education for all ages, Hannelore was a supporter of death educators. Her books provided a solid knowledge base in dying, death, and bereavement and thereby helped professionals learn the body of information in thanatology.

This article examines the impact of interviewing at the end of life and the creation of a legacy document on student interviewers.. As part of an undergraduate class on death and dying, 36 students interviewed hospice patients, creating a hard cover memory book. An analysis of semistructured interviews with all of the students following completion of the project yielded three themes: greater appreciation for life, connection to my own family, and service and legacy. The importance of experiential approaches in death education was presented. Future research examining the emotional impact of these interviews on students was suggested.

The Association for Death Education and Counseling has updated its articulation of the body of knowledge in the field of thanatology. In doing so it has relinquished the use of a matrix format in favor of a more serviceable outline containing three major sections: Arenas of Thanatology, Practice Considerations for Professionals in the Field, and Contextual and Theoretical Considerations. Accompanying the outline is a new commentary on the state of the field itself, along with an annotated bibliography of recent relevant publications.

Few, if any, mindfulness-based bereavement care models exist. The ATTEND (attunement, trust, touch, egalitarianism, nuance, and death education) model is an interdisciplinary paradigm for providers, including physicians, social workers, therapists, nursing staff and others. Using a case example to enhance the breadth and depth of understanding, this article focuses on attunement as a means to moderate the negative effects of traumatic bereavement, support the framework for posttraumatic growth in the bereaved, improve psychological outcomes for providers, and set the stage for the other aspects of the ATTEND model.

The portrayal of death is one of the most common themes in movies and is often unrealistic, promoting misconceptions to the public. However, there are also many films that portray death acceptance in an instructive way. Such films depict the development of character strengths useful in embracing life and lessening death anxiety, namely zest, curiosity, self-regulation, and humor. Moreover, the role of meaning in films is pivotal for understanding death attitudes. The authors discussed key elements in a number of popular, independent, and international films and emphasized the use of films as an important adjunct for both teachers and clinicians addressing death attitudes with students and clients. A program of death education using movies is briefly discussed.

Specialists in death, dying, and bereavement and their consequences for individuals, families, and communities have experience and research findings that are relevant to an understanding of the reactions of individuals faced by deadly violence. At such times, powerful emotions and ingrained patterns of thought and behavior can given rise to disproportionate responses that may feed into cycles of violence. An extended table shows how professionals helping individuals and families faced with violent death share common aims with those aiming to help larger social units faced with armed attacks. It follows that these professionals should work together to improve death education, to prepare people for possible deadly violence and, where possible, to suggest alternatives, to create secure places and relationships in which communication becomes possible, bad news can be broken and understood, feelings examined, differences reconciled, and people can redirect anger into the prevention of escalation rather than its perpetuation. All of these activities hold out hope that cycles of deadly violence can be broken as well as mitigating the consequences when they are not. The undoubted success of the worldwide palliative care movement resulted from the recognition of serious deficiencies in existing services, the provision of an inclusive, holistic, program that extends across medical, social psychological, and spiritual realms of discourse, providing care for patients and their families, irrespective of wealth, race, religion, and political persuasion, by dedicated leaders and teams backed by education and information services and organized across geographical boundaries. It is argued here that the time is ripe for a similar commitment to bring to an end the scandal of armed conflict by a similarly multidisciplinary, multicultural effort to relieve the suffering that both causes and results from armed conflict. This must remain independent of race, religion, political persuasion, and opposing sides and could build upon the leadership, educational models, information services, and international organizations that already exist for the provision of palliative and bereavement care.

Carla J. Sofka, Associate Professor of Social Work and Chair of the Social Work Program at Sienna College, is a Past President of the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Kathleen R. Gil...

Sandra L. Bertman, Ph.D, FT, is Distinguished Professor of Thanatology and Arts, National Center for Death Education, Mount Ida College. She taught for several decades at the University of Massachu...

The certainty of facing death and bereavement and the complex personal and societal issues involved argue for the importance of death education. The current study addresses a gap in knowledge by beginning to assess the extent of dying, death, and bereavement (DD&B) course offerings by U.S. psychology departments. This article reports on data collected from an initial survey of psychology departments in nine Midwestern states. Approximately 20% of respondents have offered a DD&B course in the last 5 years. Reasons for lack of DD&B courses include faculty and curriculum issues, as well as DD&B topics being covered elsewhere. These issues are discussed, and data are compared with DD&B course coverage in health-related fields.

Chinese people are consistently reported to be less likely to commit to posthumous organ donation than the Westerners. This study aims at investigating how death anxiety may hinder them from expressing their willingness to donate organs. Among 290 Hong Kong Chinese adults (age plus or minus 25 years), a higher level of death anxiety was associated with a greater expectation of medical neglect and a lower level of self-efficacy. Moreover, a higher level of death anxiety was also correlated with a lower likelihood of donor card signing and discussion of organ donation. The results of regression analyses suggested a mediating role of self-efficacy on the relationship between death anxiety and these behaviors. That is, death anxiety, by lowering one's perceived self-efficacy, reduces his/her likelihood to sign the donor card or to tell his/her donation decision. Findings suggest that death education program should be included in promotion campaigns for Chinese adults.

The purpose of this study was to examine the subjective opinions of Korean college students about good death. Q methodology was used to analyze 34 Q-statements from 37 respondents who majored in social work, nursing, or education at a university in South Korea. With the use of a PC-QUANL software package, 4 types of perceptions about good death were identified. They are: (1) a resolute acceptance type; (2) a reasonable, natural lifespan type; (3) a relational, sentimental type; (4) and an altruistic, satisfied type. Results of this study indicate that approaches to death education need to be differentiated to take into account this typology and the characteristics of the students that fall into each category.

This study examined the effects of viewing 10 episodes of the television series Six Feet Under to assess whether such programming could influence college students' attitudes about death and dying. Students were administered the Death Attitude Profile--Revised, the Multidimensional Fear of Death Scale, and the short version of the Threat Index, prior to and after viewing. Significant changes were found on a number of measures. These results are similar to the effects of didactic death education courses.

Most bereavement caregivers accept as a truism that their interventions are helpful. However, an examination of the bereavement intervention literature suggests that the scientific basis for accepting the efficacy of grief counseling may be quite weak. This article summarizes the findings of four recent qualitative and quantitative reviews of the bereavement intervention literature. It then discusses three possible explanations for these surprising findings and concludes with recommendations for both researchers and clinicians in thanatology that could help to focus efforts to answer the questions of when and for whom grief counseling is helpful.

This study explored helping professionals' views on death work competencies. A total of 176 helping professionals were invited to state what the necessary competencies in death work are. Content analysis was conducted. Results showed that death work competencies can be categorized into 4 major areas: (a) knowledge competence, (b) practice competence, (c) self-competence, and (d) work-environment competence. Self-competence was the most frequently mentioned by the participants. Self-competence was further categorized into 3 themes: (a) personal resources, (b) existential coping, and (c) emotional coping. Findings reflect helping professionals' emphasis on the role of self and personal preparation in doing death work. Implications on future death education and training for helping professionals were discussed.

Judith M. Stillion is a professor emerita of psychology and consults on a variety of grief and dying issues. She is a past president of the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) and...

A unique indicator of change in our culture's openness to and interest in death, dying, and bereavement is the availability of "thanatechnology": technological mechanisms such as interactive videodiscs and computer programs that are used to access information or aid in learning about thanatology topics. This article describes resources available through society's latest and most widely accessible type of thanatechnology, the Internet and World Wide Web. The conceptual framework of mediated interpersonal communication is used to illustrate sites available as resources for social support. Additional categories of thanatology sites, including narrative, commemorative, expressive, and experiential sites, are defined. Implications for the use of these resources in clinical practice, death education, and research are considered.

This article describes a student-participatory death education course offered at a small private liberal arts university. As active participants, students collaborated in the design of course content and requirements that reflected their interests and concerns. The first three sections of this paper outline course background, content, and requirements. The remaining two sections summarize students' evaluations of their experience along with the author's recommendations for course improvement. Overall, students responded positively to their involvement in the learning process.

An exploratory study was conducted into the role of prayer in the personal and professional lives of caregivers to the dying. Background questionnaires were completed by 78 counselors, doctors, nurses, and volunteers who were associated with hospice programs in Arizona. Semistructured interviews were then conducted with 24 men and women who were selected randomly from the pool of questionnaires. Most of the caregivers described themselves as being very religious. The typical caregiver makes frequent use of prayer as a means of helping her/himself to cope with the stresses and challenges encountered in hospice work. These prayers are most often private, spontaneous, and improvised, rather than reiterations of formalized prayer texts. The caregivers seldom pray with patients and family, or petition God for particular interventions. Essentially, prayer is considered to be a vital but personal way of maintaining the person's own hope, strength, and wisdom. Comparisons are made with a related study of prayer behavior and attitudes conducted with participants at a national conference of the Association for Death Education and Counseling.

The present study compared the death anxiety and fear of death levels expressed by 29 students who had completed a death and dying course with a comparison group of 74 students. The results indicated that those enrolled in the than atology class reported significantly higher death anxiety at the end of the semester as measured by the Templer-McMordie Death Anxiety Scale (DAS), the Death Anxiety Questionnaire (DAQ), and the fear of death/dying factor of the Death Attitude Profile (DAP) scale. Than atology course participants who reported decreased death anxiety also reported that death provided more meaning than did those for whom death anxiety increased. The results suggest the different effect that a than atology course can have on individuals who purportedly share the same experience.

A person-centered, humanities-based approach to teaching death and dying is described. It emphasizes ideas that students can make their own in developing self-understanding, understanding of others, and means of coping and of helping others in facing the mysteries of life, death, and suffering. Storytelling is central, rather than peripheral, to its effectiveness. Reflection on humanness (what it is to be a person) and humaneness (what it is to respect a person) is central. The article treats the evolution of the approach, the rationale for it, general pedagogical implications, and concrete illustrations of its use.

This article discusses the development and presentation of a high school death education unit within an elective psychology class. The death unit curriculum is examined, unit strengths are analyzed, and sample evaluations of students, presenters, school board members, parents, and other members of the community are presented. The conclusion reached is that this unit, although not inclusive of all death-related topics, serves as a valuable tool for students as they experience any type of loss that causes grief.

During the first 14 years of Death Education/Death Studies, while under the editorship of Hannelore Wass, a total of 405 authored articles were published in the journal. Six hundred and seventy authors contributed either singularly or collaboratively to the production. This article examines dimensions of authorship including single- vs. multiple-authored articles, authorship and gender, author-article ratio, and geographic location and academic affiliation of the authors.

With a rapidly aging population and with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) increasing the population of terminally ill patients for dentists, preparation in dealing with dying, death, and bereavement could enhance the dentist's role as a health care provider. A survey of American dental schools was performed to assess the current status of thanatology offerings in the curriculum. Results received from 97% of the schools revealed that only 7 offer anything in death and dying, and 50 have no formal death education. Eighteen dental schools, however, have plans to include thanatology in their curriculum within the next 10 years.

A national survey of Association for Death Education and Counseling members who coded themselves as employed in higher education in the 1989–1990 membership directory was conducted during that school year. Of the 141 members solicited,53 (38 %) of the sample responded with answers to questions about how their school managed student death and what they found to be helpful on a case by case basis. Results indicated that most schools did not have a written policy of operation, there was very little training of personnel in death matters, and the functionaries that were called into play were determined in large part by school size or mission. The main obstacle to carrying out successful efforts in managing death on campus related to the timely relay of facts and information from police and other officials. There were a number of helpful practices listed and gleaned from the cases presented.

Published outcome research on the impact of death education was reviewed using metaanalytic procedures. Programs have been more successful in changing participants' attitudes on death-related issues (mean effect = 0.67) than their personal feelings about death (mean = 0.18). In terms of affective outcomes, experiential programs that focus on personal feelings about death were significantly more effective than didactic programs not containing such an emphasis. Moreover, half of the latter programs produced negative effects on affective outcomes. Results illustrate the importance of considering types of outcomes and types of programs when assessing the impact of death education. Several recommendations are offered to improve future research.

Numerous studies have been conducted regarding death education offerings for health care professionals, but little research exists to prepare the student dietitian to work with the terminally ill and their grieving families. A one-page survey addressing this topic was mailed to coordinated dietetic programs throughout the United States. A 65% response rate acknowledged the importance of death education for dietitians.

We surveyed a stratified random sample of 423 public schools, from prekindergarten through 12th grade, with respect to three death-related programs. Using categorical and open-ended questions, we asked the respondents about the structure and characteristics of the programs, types of curriculum materials, and training of personnel. The schools that responded were distributed similarly to the national population by region. The national estimate for schools offering a course or unit on general death education was 11%, 17% offered a grief education/support program, and 25% had suicide prevention/intervention programs. Senior high schools in the midwest had the highest proportions of death-related programs. Of the few death education programs offered, most are taught as part of a health education course and are two weeks or less in duration. Most of the grief and suicide programs are crisis oriented, and typically involve counselors or a team of school staff members. Opportunities for in-service educa...

This study compares the deathbed scenes anticipated by students enrolled in university death education courses with the actual deathbed scenes experienced by elderly people with terminal cancer. Most students expected to live into old age and then die (a) at home, (b) with the companionship of loved ones, (c) quickly (usually in a day or less), and (d) without pain or other symptoms, while (e) remaining alert and lucid. Thoughts about an afterlife were seldom introduced. The students' concept of a deathbed scene worse than the expected usually involved the addition of pain or “lingering on.” Respondents found it difficult to improve on their expected deathbed scene because, in effect, they had already substituted “desired” for “most likely to happen.” Location of the deathbed scene in old age is consistent with the probable life expectancy of the respondents, but the easeful death (quick and asymptomatic) is at variance with observations made of terminally ill people. Comparisons are made with da...

River Dell High School offers an 18-week course entitled “Contemporary Issues of Life and Death.” For more than 15 years the response to the course by students, faculty, and parents has been positive. Over the years, the media have expressed interest in the course, its students, and teacher. The school has always been open about the program, its content, and objectives, and the media attention was welcomed, under established guidelines. The reporters who came to the school observed these rules, and the articles and television shows resulting from their work showed the students, the course, and the school in a favorable light. In 1987 Phyllis Schlafly and her Eagle Forum began a campaign to expose the “evils” of death education. An article by Fergus Bordewich pointed out strengths and weaknesses in existing courses, but television shows that followed from the article were often not as objective. This article discusses the impact of the media on the academic community using one class in death educa...

The effectiveness of a two-week study on death, loss, and grief on the death anxiety of students in grades 6–12 was explored. Several personal and situational variables were investigated to determine their relationship to levels of and change in death anxiety. A number of questions related to death and loss also were explored. A total of 217 students comprised the experimental groups and 215 the control groups. Pretest levels of death anxiety were moderately high. The students scored relatively high on three of the Collett-Lester subscales (Fear of the Death of Oneself Fear of the Death of Others, and Fear of Dying of Oneself) and low on one (Fear of Dying of Others). Though the experimental and control groups were not significantly different in death anxiety at the conclusion of the study or two months later, the experimental group showed a significant change (decrease) in death anxiety from pre- to post-test.

Medical and nursing schools in the United States have traditionally had a limited emphasis on end-of-life care. The present study is a comparison of these 2 professional programs' current offerings on death education. Data were gathered via a mailed survey from the 122 medical schools in 2005 and the 580 baccalaureate nursing programs in 2006. Return rates of 81% and 71%, respectively, were received. All medical schools and 99% of nursing schools reported offering something on death and dying, with over 90 % of students in these programs participating. The average number of hours offered in both professional programs is less than 15. Over 87% in both programs have offerings in palliative care. Whereas nursing programs rely almost solely on nurses for end-of-life course provisions, medical schools are more interdisciplinary by faculty. End-of-life issues are presented in both medical and nursing curricula, though on a limited basis. This emphasis exposes students to the issues, though not in an in-depth way.

The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of two death education programs by comparing pretest and posttest scores of behavioral intentions and (reported) behavior of EMTs when at the scene of a death. After the interventions, the majority of EMTs intended to change their behavior at the scene of a death when compared to the control group. In a three-month follow-up study, the majority of EMTs who received the intervention (and made a death notification) changed their behavior. In this sample, these programs were effective in changing the behavioral intentions of EMTs.

The author offers some views on the current state of death education with focus on the sparing attention given the death education of health professionals and of grief counselors. There is need for improved integration of the knowledge accumulated in the study of death, dying, and bereavement into the basic curricula of the parent disciplines and professional schools. Facilitation of personal engagement with the issue of mortality is an important component of the educative process. Various assessment problems are outlined and some suggestions for improvements are offered. The death education needs of various groups, including school age children and older adults, are noted. The article contains a list of references, many not cited in the text, recommended for an extensive review of developments in death education.

The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the availability of death education, including teaching and evaluation methods, specific content areas, issues being addressed, and the background and expertise of the faculty members involved in teaching death and dying content. A questionnaire was developed based on the current literature and sent to 80 faculties of nursing and 36 faculties of medicine in Canada and the United Kingdom. The majority of nursing and medical schools that responded to the survey included death education, an integrated approach, through all years of their programs. Despite recent criticisms of Kubler-Ross's model of grieving, the majority of programs reported using her theory most frequently. The findings identify the current status of death education for health professionals in Canada and the United Kingdom, and implications for curriculum changes are discussed.

In an exploratory study, we obtained information on death education in paramedic programs. A self-administered survey was sent to all U.S. paramedic training programs (N = 537). The survey ascertained the method of instruction, educational supplements, assessment techniques, and integration of death education into general course work. The status of past, present, and future death education offerings in paramedic programs was also elicited. Analysis was performed on the usable surveys (response rate = 51%). The overwhelming majority (95%) of programs offer death education, with more offerings now than 10 years ago. Legal--ethical topics were the most often included death-related instruction. In the majority of programs, a lecture (didactic) format was used for instruction and closed-ended tests were used for assessment. Results on other educational supplements and assessment techniques are also presented.

Health professionals have a high probability of working with populations experiencing death and other types of loss. Surveys of medical, nursing, pharmacy, dental, and social work schools in the United States to determine their offerings in thanatology revealed that the majority (with the exception of dentistry) offer some education on death and dying. Because most of the offerings are limited to one or two lectures, a high percentage of students are graduating with limited formal exposure in this area. However, offerings have come a long way since the early 1970s.

The Forum, for Death Education and Counseling (recently renamed The Association for Death Education and Counseling) celebrated its tenth anniversary in Atlanta, Georgia in April 1986. During its developmental years the Forum has been a significant force in bringing death-related phenomena to the fore and especially through its efforts to improve death education and death-related counseling. Its impact has been felt both nationally and internationally. This article highlights some of the important historical features of the Forum, identifies its early goals and missions, discusses its current status and incipient trends, and offers some suggestions for future development.

Organizations have a life cycle. They are born out of need, grow as they speak to that need, evolve to meet changing opportunities, and diminish or die when they no longer are relevant to the lives of their members. As president of the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC), I have been asked to write an article about the organization: to describe the conditions which led to its formation, to review its accomplishments across the first 12 years of its existence, and to focus on the future of ADEC as it moves toward the 21st century.