Death is an inevitable natural part of human existence; however, research suggests that there is a reluctance to actively think about and engage in death-related discussions within the UK (Co-Op, 2018; Biscuit Tin, 2021; The Academy of Medical Science and Ipsos Mori, 2019; Sue Ryder, 2019). Previous research has mainly focused on facilitating death-related conversations with those that are elderly or terminally ill (Amjad et al., 2014; Bernard et al., 2020; Glaudemans et al., 2020; Im et al., 2019; Klemmt et al., 2020; Peterson et al., 2018; Stone et al., 2013); therefore, there is a need to explore how openness to death communication can be achieved by within the general population. This study aimed to explore the process behind how individuals become open to death communication. A constructivist grounded theory approach was used to analyse the data of 40 participants. The findings revealed four major categories that contributed towards participants' openness towards death, 'Death-related experiences', 'Recognising the benefits of openness', 'Exploring their relationship with death' and 'Conditions and context for openness'. Two key findings presented in the study are that the perceived social belief that death is taboo can hinder and sometimes prevent death-related conversations from occurring, and becoming more open to death can lead individuals to live life more meaningfully (this realisation plays a part in continued openness towards death). The findings of this grounded theory study can be used to inform education policy, training programmes, death positive groups and public health initiatives on how to encourage individuals to become more open to death communication. The findings indicate that developing a communication strategy of key themes and messages about the life-enhancing impact of death awareness could promote openness to death communication. Moreover, the study recommends that public health initiatives and death positive groups should be urged to change the narrative around death as a taboo in order to prevent reinforcing the idea that death should not be discussed. Furthermore, the findings endorse the need for death education in schools. Further research is needed to explore the influence of disseminating information about the life-enhancing impact of death awareness on openness to death communication.
| Date of Award | 19 Apr 2024 |
|---|
| Original language | English |
|---|
| Supervisor | Sally Arrey (Main Supervisor) |
|---|