Happiness and death distress: Two separate factors

The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between happiness and death distress (death anxiety, death depression, and death obsession) in 2 75 volunteer Kuwaiti undergraduates. They responded to the Oxford Happiness Inventory, the Death Anxiety Scale, the Arabic Scale of Death Anxiety, the Death Depression Scale-Revised, and the Death Obsession Scale. Gender differences were significant on all 5 scales, with women showing a lower mean score of happiness and a higher mean score for the death distress. All the correlations between happiness and the death distress scales were non-significant except one pertaining to happiness and death depression (negative) in women. Two oblique factors were extracted: death distress and happiness. Therefore, these constructs represent 2 distinct and independent factors.