Construction and validation of the Death Anxiety Inventory (DAI)
Abstract
Background. Over the last 40 years the study of human attitudes toward death has attracted much scientific interest and a significant amount of research has been carried out in the English-speaking world. However, among Spanish-speaking researchers the subject has been practically ignored, as has the issue of related psychometric instruments. The aim of this study was to develop the Death Anxiety Inventory (DAI) and thus provide a valid and reliable assessment instrument for measuring death anxiety among Spanish-speaking subjects. Methods: This study examined the psychometric properties of the DAI. The DAI is a self-administered questionnaire of 20 items that can be used in either a dichotomous true/false format or on a six-point Likert scale. The properties of both scales were investigated by means of six empirical studies and several samples. Results: The scale has an α coefficient of internal consistency of 0.90 and test-retest correlation, at 4 weeks, of 0.94. The correlation with Templer's Death Anxiety Scale was 0.79. Factor analysis of the DAI identified five significant factors. Taken together these factors explained 54.60% of the total variance and were labeled as: (1) Externally generated death anxiety, (2) Meaning and acceptance of death, (3) Thoughts about death, (4) Life after death, and (5) Brevity of life. The English form of the DAI is also presented in the study in order to enable cross-cultural comparisons to be made. Conclusion: Results of this study sugges…
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Unidimensional measures have been found to tap into multiple dimensions of death anxiety.
“these unidimensional measures have also been found to tap into multiple dimensions of death anxiety”
From Death anxiety and its role in psychopathology: Reviewing the status of a transdiagnostic construct (2014) · cites this paper as Tomas-Sabado & Gomez-Benito, 2005
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A personality scale of manifest anxiety
Taylor, J. A. (1953) · The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/h0056264 · Cited by 3,131 · see citing works
Relationship of death anxiety scale factors to subjective states
Gilliland, J. C., & Templer, D. I. (1986) · OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying · doi:10.2190/y9y8-rg8n-8euh-vjv4 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
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Death anxiety and its role in psychopathology: Reviewing the status of a transdiagnostic construct
Iverach, L., Menzies, R. G., & Menzies, R. E. (2014) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2014.09.002 · Cited by 459 · see citing works
Hennes, E. P., Nam, H. H., Stern, C., & Jost, J. T. (2012) · Social Cognition · doi:10.1521/soco.2012.30.6.669 · Cited by 245 · see citing works
Construction of a Death Anxiety Scale-Extended
Templer, D. I., Awadalla, A., Al-Fayez, G., Frazee, J., Bassman, L., Connelly, H. J., Arikawa, H., & Abdel-Khalek, A. M. (2006) · OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying · doi:10.2190/bqfp-9uln-nuly-4jdr · Cited by 95 · see citing works
Religiousness, Religious Doubt, and Death Anxiety
Henrie, J., & Patrick, J. H. (2014) · The International Journal of Aging and Human Development · doi:10.2190/ag.78.3.a · Cited by 94 · see citing works
Death Anxiety, Religious Doubt, and Depressive Symptoms across Race in Older Adults
Willis, K. D., Nelson, T., & Moreno, O. (2019) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph16193645 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
- Authors
- Tomás-Sábado, J., & Gómez-Benito, J.
- Affiliations
- Escola Universitària d'Infermeria Gimbernat, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, Spain
- Facultat de Psicologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain
- Venue
- European Journal of Psychological Assessment
- Publisher
- Hogrefe Publishing Group
- Published
- 2005-01
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 108-114
- ISSN
- 1015-5759 (ISSN-L)
- 2151-2426
- OpenAlex
- W2064904660
- Cited by
- 84
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 4.02
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- European Journal of Psychological Assessment (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Death, Funerary Practices, and Mourning
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
- Keywords
- fear of death, Spanish-speaking populations, psychometric validation, scale development, attitudes toward death, afterlife, cross-cultural comparison, English version
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