Nursing students' attitudes towards death and caring for dying patients

Abstract

Aim: To examine the attitudes of undergraduate Jordanian nursing students towards death and caring for dying patients.

Design: A cross-sectional correlational design.

Methods: The Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying and Death Attitude Profile-Revised scales were used in this study with a convenience sample of 555 students from nursing schools in Jordan.

Results: Nursing students had positive attitudes towards death (M = 153.7, SD = 21.5) and a positive attitude towards caring for dying patients (M = 98.1, SD = 9.2). Fear of death, escape acceptance and death avoidance were significant negative predictors, while neutral acceptance, higher academic level and female gender were significant positive predictors of caring for dying patients (F = 4.5).

Conclusion: Nursing students had positive attitudes towards caring for dying patients that was influenced by university type, academic level and gender. Nursing education must further focus on death, dying and end-of-life care across the core courses of nursing curricula, theory and practicum.

Keywords: attitudes; death; dying patients; nursing students.