Citation

Chau LY, Cheung WS, Ho SMY. Death Stud. 2019; 43(1): 32-40.

Affiliation

Department of Applied Social Sciences , City University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/07481187.2018.1432720

PMID

29393827

Abstract

Death metaphors are a meaningful way to understand personal perceptions of death, an important construct affecting how people live. This study collected death metaphor data among 100 university students in Hong Kong in 2016, and compared the findings with another study reported in 2004. Interpersonally oriented death metaphors were still popular among students a decade later. There was a general decrease in positive perception of death and an increase in negative perception of death from 2004 to 2016. Death metaphors are useful tools in death education programs, especially in cultures where death is a taboo topic.

Language: en

Keywords

Hong Kong Chinese; bereavement; death anxiety; death metaphors