Death anxiety and religiosity among Lithuanian health and social service professionals

Abstract

This study examined the applicability of the Multidimensional Fear of Death Scale (MFODS; J.W.Hoetler, 1979a) in Lithuania, a culture where death anxiety has not been studied previously. It also ascertained the relationship between death anxiety and a multidimensional measure of religiosity. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that MFODS structure fit the Lithuanian data reasonably well, particularly if factors were allowed to be correlated. Lithuanian participants who expressed higher levels of intrinsic religiosity also expressed less fear of the unknown, but no other independent, linear relationships existed among the various dimensions of religiosity and death anxiety.