Death distress dimensions: Death anxiety, death depression, and death obsession

Introduction: Death distress involved death anxiety, death depression and death obsession. The present study aimed to investigate the divergence and convergence between three dimensions of death distress. Materials and Methods: In a correlational study, a sample of 339 university students was selected among male and female students of Payame Noor University of East Azarbaijan using stratified sampling method. Participants completed the Death Anxiety Scale (DAS), the Death Obsession scale (DOS) and the Death Depression Scale (DDS). Data were analyzed using explanatory factor analysis (EFA) as principal component analysis through Promax rotation. Results:The pattern of factor loadings and Scree test suggested a threefactor structure death distress named death obsession, death depression and death anxiety. Eigen values of these factors were 13.4, 3.77 and 2.54 respectively. These three factors together explained 45.85% of the variance of death distress. Conclusion: Death distress has a multidimensional structure termed death obsession, death depression and death anxiety.