Associations Between Death Fascination, Death Anxiety and Religion among Polish College Students

Abstract

Previous research examining the relationship between religion and attitudes about death have yielded mixed results due to over-simplified conceptualizations of constructs, lack of theory, and an over-reliance on Western samples. To overcome these issues, the present study examined the relationship between three types of religious orientation and two types of death attitudes among a sample of 532 college students in Poland. The results demonstrated unique relations between religion and death attitudes, as well emphasized the importance of considering religious engagement as a moderating variable. Although the results were generally consistent with Terror Management Theory, other theoretical perspectives were considered as well. © 2013, Versita. All rights reserved.