Death Threat Constructions in the Student and the Prudent

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted as tests of the validity of the provided-construct Threat Index, a theoretically based death orientation instrument. The first study compared changes in death threat scores of students in two death education courses to threat scores of control classes. Although a hypothesized decline in mean threat scores from pre- to post-testing among the thanatology students was not found, it was found that the mean death threat scores of the thanatology students were significantly lower than the control classes at both pre- and post-testing and that the variance of scores among the death class students increased markedly while remaining stable in the control classes. The second study compared mean Threat Index scores of two groups: a) a criterion group composed of persons who had made explicit preparatory arrangements for their own funeral, cremation, or body donation; and b) a demographically comparable control group of adults who had not taken such action. With a sample of 106 respondents (fifty-seven “pre-planners” and forty-nine “controls”), the mean comparison showed the pre-planners to be significantly lower in measured death threat as predicted. Implications of these findings for the construct validity of the instrument are discussed.