2020 INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Showcase

Outline of Content

Contents of this record:

  • Paper - Located under Download Button
  • Poster - Located under Additional Files

Presentation Type

Open Access Paper Presentation

Keywords

Bereavement--Psychological aspects; Death--Psychological aspects;

Abstract

Death is a taboo topic in the United States, despite its inevitability and impact on the lives of those left behind. Using the Changing Lives of Older Couples (CLOC) dataset, this study investigates the association between talking about death before a partner's death and the level of death avoidance afterward. Results show an association between spouses talking about how the widow or widower would handle being on their own and whether they enacted behaviors to feel close to their spouse after death. Responses varied significantly by race on items which measured death avoidance, implying a difference exists between the reactions to death between black and white individuals. Further research on conversations about death, race, and death avoidance is encouraged

Start Date

17-4-2020 12:00 PM

End Date

17-4-2020 4:00 PM

Faculty Advisor

Ashley Kysar-Moon

Department

Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology

Student Type

Undergraduate Student

File Format

application/pdf

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Additional Files

Poster.pdf (815 kB)

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Apr 17th, 12:00 PM Apr 17th, 4:00 PM

Let's Talk About Death: Conversation and Bereavement in Late-Life Widows and Widowers [Paper]

Death is a taboo topic in the United States, despite its inevitability and impact on the lives of those left behind. Using the Changing Lives of Older Couples (CLOC) dataset, this study investigates the association between talking about death before a partner's death and the level of death avoidance afterward. Results show an association between spouses talking about how the widow or widower would handle being on their own and whether they enacted behaviors to feel close to their spouse after death. Responses varied significantly by race on items which measured death avoidance, implying a difference exists between the reactions to death between black and white individuals. Further research on conversations about death, race, and death avoidance is encouraged