J Korean Acad Fundam Nurs.  2013 Nov;20(4):381-388.

Nurses' Awareness of Death and Meaning of Life

• Youn JH
• Ha JY

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study was done to investigate nurses' awareness of death and the meaning of life and identify factors influencing the meaning of life.
METHODS
Participants were 198 women nurses who had experienced the death of patients. They answered a self-administered questionnaire including demographics, awareness of death scale and meaning in life II scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffe test, and multiple regression (enter method).
RESULTS
The average score for awareness of death was 127.3+/-10.14. This score is moderate not biased toward positive or negative. The average score for meaning of life was 130.3+/-9.42 with 51% for loss steps, 45.5% for pursuit steps and 3.5% for discovery steps to the meaning of life. Factors affecting the meaning of life were religion, Buddhism (beta=6.25, p=.015) or Atheist (beta=5.91, p=.017), educational level, Master's or higher (beta=16.22, p=.003), work department, special department (beta=3.49, p=.017).
CONCLUSIONS
Results of the study indicate a need to provide nursing programs that will promote nurses' spiritual and inner maturity.

Keyword

Nurses; Death; Awareness; Life

MeSH Terms

Bias (Epidemiology)
Buddhism
Demography
Female
Humans
Methods
Nursing
Surveys and Questionnaires