P11: Validity and Reliability of Death Anxiety Scale (DAS) in Nurses

This study was carried out to determine the psychometric properties of Templer Death Anxiety Scale (DAS), a tool, designed to assess the death anxiety. Our sample comprised 106 nurses who were selected from two hospitals in Tehran, Iran, using a convenience sampling method and were then assessed using the Templer Death Anxiety Scale (DAS), Reasons for Death Fear Scale (RDFS), Death Obsession Scale (DOS), Death Concern Scale (DCS), Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale (CLFDS), and Death Depression Scale (DDS). The data indicated that the mean scores were 8.27 (SD=2.71). Exploratory factor analysis on DAS identified 4 factors with eigenvalues of greater than one. Factor 1 labeled “Absolute death anxiety”, Factor 2 labeled “Fear of patience and pain, Fear of future”, Factor 3 labeled “Time passing and short life”, and Factor 4 labeled “Death related thoughts”. Item-total correlations were evaluated; the reliability coefficients of the DAS using Cronbach alpha, split-half, and Gutmann coefficients were 0.60, 0.52, and 0.52, respectively. The DAS correlated 0.50 with the RDFS, 0.47 with the DOS, 0.52 with the DCS, 0.38 with the CLFDS, and 0.50 with the DDS, indicating good construct and criterion-related validity. Concurrent validity for the DAS with the other scales, were significant. The DAS among nurses had appropriate validity, reliability, and psychometric characteristics, factor analysis showed multidimensional structure for the DAS, so the DAS can be used in researches about death and dying issues in healthcare professionals.