The study aimed at investigating fear of death among university students of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Campus, Nigeria. The study will help to understand the value Nigerian university youths attached to human live, even when some of their life patterns are life-endangering.
Through paper shuffling randomization, the Faculties of Social sciences, Management Sciences and Law were sampled for the study; from where a total of 96 participants, with an average age of 26 years, were further systematically and evenly sampled. The hypotheses of the study were (1) “There will be a significant students’ Faculty related differences in terms of fear of death”; (2) “There will be a significant gender differences among university students in terms of fear of death”; and (3) “There will be a significance difference in fear of death for students’ marital status”.
The study had a static-group survey design, of three-group, and two-group sub designs for hypotheses 1, 2, and 3 respectively. Again, One-Way ANOVA, and Independent t-tests were used for the three hypotheses’ analyses at p<.05 respectively. From the analyses, it was observed that university students have Faculty related differences in fear of death. Again, it was found that the students significantly differ in fear of death for gender and marital status.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
1.3 PURPOSE OF STUDY
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTION
1.5 HYPOTHESES
1.6 IMPORTANCE/SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
CHAPTER TWO REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 THEORETICAL REVIEW
2.2 EMPIRICAL REVIEW
2.3 DEFINITION OF TERMS
2.3.1 Literary Definitions
CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY
3.1 PARTICIPANTS
3.2 INSTRUMENTS
3.3 PROCEDURE
3.4 DESIGNS AND STATISTICS
CHAPTER FOUR RESULTS
4.1 HYPOTHESIS ONE
4.2 HYPOTHESIS TWO
4.3 HYPOTHESIS THREE
CHAPTER FIVE DISCUSSION, RECOMMENDATION, AND CONCLUSION
5.1 The three hypotheses tested in the study are:
5.2 IMPLICATIONS OF THE RESULTS
5.3 SUMMARY
5.4 RECOMMENDATIONS
5.5 CONCLUSION
5.6 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
5.7 SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH
Research Objectives and Key Themes
This study aims to investigate the level of death anxiety among university students, exploring how different academic disciplines, gender, and marital status influence their psychological perception of mortality. The research seeks to understand if professional socialization through specific courses of study correlates with varying degrees of fear regarding the end of life.
- Psychological impact of death anxiety on university students.
- Influence of academic faculty and professional socialization on fear of death.
- Comparative analysis of fear of death based on gender and marital status.
- Defense mechanisms and coping strategies used by students against the reality of mortality.
- Clinical and educational implications for managing anxiety within the university system.
Excerpt from the Book
1.1 BACKGROUND
Death! What are you? The omnipotent victor who robs what it owns. Death! You own all that is living and human beings in particular, yet, you rob human beings their lives when they need them most. For children, death means a confusing departure to an unknown destination; and for the elderly, it is a retirement to the final and anticipated “home”. However, for the youths and university students in particular, death is associated with the end of that is desirable in human life. The universally held human values of beauty, love, friendship and achievement are threatened in the face of death. It reminds us that all we treasure will end – the tragic, the noble, the significant and the insignificant. We appreciate life most when we honestly struggle with the idea of death. The prospect of death haunts our life because it forces us to question the very nature of and value of that life. Death makes life “a life” – life that will be lost – and that is its importance, extending far beyond its sheer physical description.
Like a huge debts which make the debtor unease when he remembers them, death in itself is a great debt which everybody must pay unlike an ordinary debt which could be avoided somehow, death on the other hand cannot be avoided. It reaches an individual any place he may be and by any means it chooses. University students who think that they are immune to death because of their youthful age easily make themselves available to the scourge of death, through their actions like violence, constant traveling and exposure to diseases like AIDS, tuberculosis and cancer. Death is an unseen and unforeseen external reality, which conquers human being. University students are more aware of this fact when they witness the death of their fellow students or any other cherished persons.
Chapter Summaries
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION: Presents the conceptual background regarding the human perception of death, defines the problem, states the purpose of the study, outlines research questions, and formulates the primary hypotheses.
CHAPTER TWO REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE: Provides a comprehensive overview of existing theoretical and empirical studies concerning death anxiety, coping mechanisms, and demographic variations among young adults.
CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY: Details the research design, participant sampling from various faculties, the use of a standardized rating scale for data collection, and the statistical methods employed for analysis.
CHAPTER FOUR RESULTS: Presents the findings of the study, including descriptive statistics and ANOVA/t-test results concerning faculty, gender, and marital status differences in fear of death.
CHAPTER FIVE DISCUSSION, RECOMMENDATION, AND CONCLUSION: Interprets the research results, discusses the implications for clinical psychology, provides recommendations for future studies, and acknowledges the study's limitations.
Keywords
Fear, Death, University, Students, Psychology, Mortality, Academic Faculty, Anxiety, Coping Mechanisms, Gender Differences, Marital Status, Defense Mechanisms, Behavioral Conditioning, Professional Socialization, Mental Health.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The research focuses on investigating the fear of death among university students, specifically how individual differences and academic backgrounds influence their attitudes toward mortality.
What are the main thematic areas covered?
The study covers the psychological perception of death, the influence of professional socialization (faculties), gender differences, marital status, and the use of defense mechanisms in coping with death anxiety.
What is the main objective or research question?
The primary objective is to determine if academic faculty, gender, and marital status significantly predispose university students to varying levels of death anxiety.
Which scientific methodology is utilized?
The study employs a static-group survey design using standardized questionnaires and statistical analysis, specifically One-Way ANOVA and independent t-tests, to evaluate the hypotheses.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the work?
The main body covers the theoretical and empirical literature on death, the methodology used to sample students, the resulting data on death anxiety across faculties, and a discussion of these findings in relation to psychological well-being.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
The most relevant keywords include Fear, Death, University, Students, Psychology, Mortality, and Academic Faculty.
How does a student’s faculty influence their fear of death?
The study suggests that professional socialization plays a role, where students in fields dealing with life-and-death decisions (such as Law) may adapt differently and exhibit lower levels of fear compared to others.
Are there significant differences in fear of death between male and female students?
The study found no significant gender differences in the level of fear of death among the university students surveyed, contradicting some previous assumptions.
Does marital status affect how university students perceive death?
The analysis indicated that there is no significant difference in the level of death anxiety between married and unmarried students in this particular sample.
What practical implications does this study have for university environments?
The study suggests that understanding these psychological patterns can help university administrators and clinical psychologists address destructive behaviors and support students in managing anxiety-related issues.
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- Okechukwu Dominic Nwankwo (Autor:in), 2016, Fear of Death Among University Students. A Study, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/341558
