Relationship of Religiosity to Death Anxiety of Middle-Aged Males

The purpose of this study was to determine how religiosity was related to death anxiety among a group of middle-aged men. A non-probability sample of 237 male volunteers between the ages of 40 and 59 yr. of whom 88.7% were engaged in professional occupations completed a questionnaire composed of various research instruments. A single composite score for religiosity was obtained through a principal-components analysis of 13 items selected, adjusted, and compiled by Downey (1980) from various religiosity scales. Boyar's Fear of Death Scale assessed death anxiety, while “experience of death” was measured by three items and was utilized as a control variable in determining the association between religiosity and death anxiety. Analysis indicated that “experience of death” or the amount of contact the male has had with death was not related to death anxiety. Data did not support the prediction that those males who were less religious would exhibit higher scores on death anxiety than would those men who were more religious. Further analyses demonstrated a curvilinear relationship between religiosity and death anxiety. The middle-aged men who were moderately religious evidenced a significantly higher fear of death than the men who were either low or high in religiosity.