The Impact of Reflection on Death on the Self-Esteem of Health Care Workers

Background. The study was based on the Terror Management Theory. This theory assumes that self-preservation and awareness of imminent death create the potential to trigger fear. The “culture buffer” can protect people from fear, and it is composed of two factors: personal views on world issues and self-esteem. The aim of the study was to show that exposure to content that increases the availability of thoughts about death causes changes in medical personnel (doctors, nurses, and paramedics) in areas such as self-esteem, mood, sense of agency, and communion. Methods. The research was experimental. Standardized psychometric tests were used, including the Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSE), the University of Wales Institution of Science and Technology) Mood Adjective Check List (UMACL), scales measuring agency and communion, and an additional questionnaire containing two types of text. Respondents were divided into two text groups: A (exposed to increased availability of thoughts of death) and B (neutral). Results. Reflection on death, triggered by the experimental manipulation of the independent variable (text version), did not modify mood (in groups of medical staff and students) or self-esteem of health care professionals but did modify scores on a single RSE item in the student’s group. Moreover, age, income level, religious attitude, and belonging to a professional group had an impact on self-esteem, mood components, and other parameters but did not interact with the text group. Reflection on death modified the sense of agency and communion. Conclusions. Exposure to content increasing the availability of thoughts of death led to observable effects possible to observe in all groups only after taking into account an additional factor, which turned out to be the religious attitude of the respondents in the experiment. Specific tools should be selected or developed for the needs of research on respondents working in health care.