Expectations in the Communication About Death and Dying

End-of-life (EOL) conversations with relatives or significant others are often avoided. One reason can be negative expectations regarding these conversations. The present study was conducted to develop and initially validate the End-of-Life Conversations - Expectations Scale (EOLC-E). An exploratory factor analysis ( N = 307) resulted in a 20-item version with three distinct dimensions: expected own emotional burden (α = .92), expected other person's emotional burden (α = .94) and communication self-efficacy (α = .89). The EOLC-E total score correlated significantly with communication apprehension about death ( r = .62), fear of death ( r = .58), death avoidance ( r = .52) as well as readiness for end-of-life conversations ( r = -.38) and occurrence of previous conversations ( r = -.29). Results suggest that the EOLC-E is a reliable and valid instrument to assess death and dying communication expectations. This measure has utility in communication research focusing on optimizing expectations and increasing EOL communication

Anxiety · Apprehension · Cognitive psychology · Communication Apprehension · End-of-life care · Exploratory factor analysis · Palliative care · Psychiatry · Psychometrics · Scale (ratio · Willingness to communicate · Clinical Psychology · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Medicine · Nursing · Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues · Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare · Psychology · Social Psychology

• Expectations in the Communication About Death and Dying From a Caregiver’s Perspective

  Open Access•Sophie Kievernagel, Yannik Bendel et al.•OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying•2026

  Añadir item

• Associations Between End-of-Life Discussions, Patient Mental Health, Medical Care Near Death, and Caregiver Bereavement Adjustment

  Alexi A Wright•JAMA•2008

  Añadir item

• A 4-item measure of depression and anxiety

  Open Access•Bernd Löwe, Inka Wahl et al.•Journal of Affective Disorders•2010

  Añadir item

• The impact of advance care planning on end of life care in elderly patients

  Open Access•Karen Detering, K M Detering et al.•BMJ•2010

  Añadir item

• Robust dimensions of anxiety sensitivity

  Steven Taylor, M J Zvolensky et al.•Psychological Assessment•2007

  Añadir item

• The Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R)

  Rona Moss-Morris, Rona Moss‐morri et al.•Psychology & Health•2002

  Añadir item

• Guidelines for the Process of Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Self-Report Measures

  Dorcas E Beaton, Dorcas Beaton et al.•Spine•2000

  Añadir item

• German version of the Death Attitudes Profile- Revised (DAP-GR) – translation and validation of a multidimensional measurement of attitudes towards death

  Open Access•Jonas Jansen, Christian Schulz et al.•BMC Psychology•2019

  Añadir item

• Development and Validation of the Communication Apprehension About Death Scale

  Open Access•Heather J Carmack, Jocelyn M Degroot•OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying•2016

  Añadir item

• Perceptions of and Attitudes Toward Death, Dying, Grief, and the Finitude of Life—A Representative Survey Among the General Public in Germany

  Open Access•Julia Strupp, Vanessa Köneke et al.•OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying•2019

  Añadir item

• Young adults’ perspectives on advance care planning

  Emily L Mroz, Emily Mroz et al.•Death Studies•2020

  Añadir item

• The Construction of the Multidimensional Orientation Toward Dying and Death Inventory (Moddi-F)

  Joachim Wittkowski•Death Studies•2001

  Añadir item

• Affirming the Connection

  PAM PAM•Death Studies•2004

  Añadir item

• Being Open without Talking about It

  John P Caughlin, Sylvia L Mikucki-Enyart et al.•Communication Monographs•2011

  Añadir item

• Using thematic analysis in psychology

  Open Access•Braun, Virginia Braun et al.•Qualitative Research in Psychology•2006

  Añadir item

• A power primer

  Jacob Cohen•Psychological Bulletin•1992

  Añadir item