Death Education in Practice: A Scoping Review of Interventions, Strategies, and Psychosocial Impact

Mateus Eduardo Romao; Giacomo Belli; Shahnoza Jumayeva; Silvia Damiana Visona; Kate Woodthorpe; Ilaria Setti; Serena Barello

doi:10.1177/00302228251338643

Death Education in Practice: A Scoping Review of Interventions, Strategies, and Psychosocial Impact

Mateus Eduardo Romao, Giacomo Belli, Shahnoza Jumayeva, Silvia Damiana Visona, Kate Woodthorpe, Ilaria Setti, Serena Barello

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Abstract

It is known that death education and support helps in a number of ways those people involved in end-of-life and death-related working settings. This scoping review systematically maps the existing literature on death education programs, how they are delivered, and their psychosocial outcomes within different populations. The investigation was conducted using five databases (PubMed, PsychoInf, Scopus, Web of Science, and CINAHL), and 45 studies matched the inclusion criteria for the study. The death education programs detailed in the studies were delivered online, in person, or in a hybrid way through different strategies, such as group discussions, lectures, and interactive activities. The psychosocial outcomes from the programs in the review indicated a higher willingness to discuss end-of-life decisions and decreased death anxiety, death avoidance, and fear of death

Original language	English
Journal	Omega: Journal of Death & Dying
Early online date	30 Apr 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228251338643
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 30 Apr 2025

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Keywords

death education
end-of-life education
psychosocial outcomes
scoping review

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Health(social science)
Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine
Life-span and Life-course Studies

Access to Document

10.1177/00302228251338643

Manuscript_DEATH_EDUCATION
Accepted for publication - Romão, M. E., Belli, G., Jumayeva, S., Visonà, S. D., Woodthorpe, K., Setti, I., & Barello, S. (2025). Death Education in Practice: A Scoping Review of Interventions, Strategies, and Psychosocial Impact. OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228251338643. Copyright © 2025 by SAGE Publications. Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications.
Accepted author manuscript, 570 KB

Cite this

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AU - Woodthorpe, Kate

AU - Setti, Ilaria

AU - Barello, Serena

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Death Education in Practice: A Scoping Review of Interventions, Strategies, and Psychosocial Impact

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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