Templer's Death Anxiety Scale revisited: the Dutch version

Presented and analysed a Dutch version of Templer's Death Anxiety Scale, and explored further the scale's factor structure. Ss were 179 Dutch freshmen in psychology who filled out the scale during a group test-session. Mean scale scores, standard deviations, and internal consistency were comparable to data reported in earlier studies. A principal components analysis identified 5 factors with eigenvalues larger than 1. The first factor appeared to be an underlying primary dimension on which all items except Item 10 ("The subject of life after death troubles me greatly") loaded substantially. It is suggested that the response format be changed from a dichotomous to a 5-point scale, and that the Dutch version of the Death Anxiety Scale be accepted as a reliable measure of death anxiety.