Intrinsic religious motivation and attitudes toward death among the elderly

Forty-five males and females ages 65 and older completed the Intrinsic Religious Motivation Scale, a measure of faith development (based on Fowler, 1981), and two multidimensional measures of death anxiety (the Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale-Revised and the Multidimensional Fear of Death Scale). Individuals with intrinsic religious motivation reported significantly lower levels of various types of death anxiety than did individuals with extrinsic religious motivation. No significant relationships were found between stage of faith and attitudes toward death and dying.