CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE THE CHILD'S CONCEPT OF DEATH A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Home Economics by Sara Laudin January, 1981 The Thesis of Sara Laudin is approved: Molty c.tJGorelick, Ed.D. AlycE(/Blackmon, M.A. . Commkttee Chairperson California State University, Northridge ii PREFACE This research was a comparative study between children who lost their fathers in the Yom Kippur War, and Israeli children whose fathers are still living. The purpose of the study was to examine the development of the concept of death in children aged four through nine. The researcher believed that such a study would be useful to parents, teachers, social workers and others in understanding the child's grasp of the concept of death, and thus in helping the child. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to my committee - Dr. Marjory L. Joseph, Dr. Molly C. Gorelick and especially Ms. Alyce Blackmon, who made this work possible, in spite of all the difficulties and the great geographical distance between us. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page PREFACE . . . . . . iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv LIST OF TABLES vi vii ABSTRACT Chapter INTRODUCTION 1 :::- Null HYpotheses . 2 Limitations ""' 2 De:fini tions . . 3 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE 3· PROCEDURE 4 13 Data Collection . . 14 Analysis o:f Data 15 4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 17 5· SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS 26 Conclusions . . . 26 Play Situation 32 Recommendations . 32 BIBLIOGRAPHY 34 APPENDICES A. SAMPLE INTERVIEW EVALUATION FORM 36 B. SAMPLE PLAY SITUATION EVALUATION FORM . . 37 v TABLES Table 1. Page Cognitive Awareness of Death in Children of Different Age Groups According to Chi Square Test . . . . . . . . 2. Cognitive Awareness of Death in Children of Different Age Groups - Number of Children . . 21 . . 22 J. Understanding of Death in Children Ages 4-5, Comparison Between Children of Living and of Deceased Fathers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 4. Understanding of Death in Children Ages 6-7, Comparison Between Children of Living and of Deceased Fathers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 5. Understanding of Death in Children Ages 8-9, Comparison Between Children of Living and of Deceased Fathers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 vi ABSTRACT THE CHILD'S CONCEPT OF DEATH by Sara Laudin Master of Science in Home Economics This study examined the development of the concept of death in children aged four through nine. It ascer- tained the relation of age and actual experience of losing a father upon the child's comprehension of the concept of death. Forty-nine children who had lost their fathers in the Yom Kippur War, and thirty-six children who had not, were each personally interviewed. Each child was asked a list of questions, .aimed to test their understanding of the concept of death. In addition, the youngest children were presented with a play situation, in which questions were put to them, using dolls as visual subjects. Statistical analysis showed a difference in the cognitive awareness of death in children of different age groups. It was further indicated that there was no significant difference in the understanding of death between children who had lost their fathers and those who had not. The Chi Square Test, at the .05 level, was used to determine if the results were significant. vii Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION Death, .a final and irrevocable concept, is something which young children cannot comprehend. Plank (13:332) states that "young children do not understand death as a permanent and inevitable biological reality." Is the understanding of children who have actually suffered the loss of a dear one, a parent or a beloved pet, different from that of children of the same ages who have had no actual personal experience? The researcher hoped through this study to make a comparison of the understanding of the concept of death possessed by children from the ages of four through nine years, with and without the exper:j,ence of loss. The review of the literature did not reveal any studies which included or were specifically concerned with children of these ages who suffered such a loss. None of the studies reviewed stated whether or not the children had experienced any loss through death. The subject matter was of particular concern to the researcher who, as an Israeli, has lived through three wars, and is aware of and sensitive to the problems of young children left fatherless as a result of war. 1 2 The purpose o£ this study was to learn how the concept o£ death develops in children aged £our through nine who have su££ered the loss o£ a £ather in war. It was the belie£ of the researcher that such a study would prove valuable to parents, teachers, social workers, and others in understanding a child's grasp of the concept of death, and consequently enable them to better understand how to help the child. Null Hypotheses 1. There is no significant difference in the cognitive awareness of death in children of different ages. 2. There is no significant difference in the understanding of death between children who have suffered the loss of a father in the Yom Kippur War, and those who have not. Limitations 1. As this study took place in Israel, it was conducted in Hebrew and then translated into English. Some of the fine points may have been lost in the translation. 2. It was not possible to establish through the study the m1iversality of the conclusions since it dealt with children whose experience with or lack of said experience was during the 1973 Yom Kippur War and not, for example, the long or short term illness of the deceased parent. J. The sample of approximately forty-nine children may not be large enough to provide an adequate basis for generalization. Definitions 1. Death: The act or fact of dying; permanent ending of all life in a person, plant, or animal. 2. Concept of Death: A generalized idea of the extinction of life, mental posture, e.g. acceptance or rejection toward death in children involved in this study. J. Cognitive Awareness: Refers to having power of mental comprehension - the degree of cognitive awareness in children of this study; their ability to actually comprehend the meaning of death. 4 Chapter 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE Teach me to die Hold onto my hand I have so many questions Things I don't understand Teach me to die Give all you can give If you'll teach me of dying I will teach you to live (Ross, 10:19) Plank has written that death as a permanent an-d irrevocable biological reality is not understood by young children (13:332). Dr. Ginott stated that: ... to children it [death] is an enigma veiled in mystery. The young child cannot comprehend that death is permanent; that neither his parents or his prayers can bring back the departed. His fear is reflected in the question he asks "After you die,will you still love me?" (6:144). As reported by Formanek (4:94), words are frequently given different meaning by adults and young children. Adults have used words for a longer time than have children and so understand one another, but when a child learns a new word he often misuses it. An adult's assumption that meaning of words are similar to all can mislead a child. adult. Death does not mean the same to a child as to an 5 Hendin (8:144) pointed out that the loss of a pet is an excellent opportunity for direct and open discussion of the subject of death. The child may be encouraged to talk about his personal thoughts and feelings and to ask questions. Formanek (4:93) suggested that questions include "What is the meaning of the death of a pet to a child? Does the pet occupy a place similar to that of an important person or is it similar to the place of an inanimate toy?" Children identify with their pets and do not treat them like toys. Feelings are transferred to pets as if the animals were human. The death of a pet that chil- dren have loved causes shock; the experience is profound and frequently their first experience with death. A quick replacement of a dead pet by a new live one teaches the child that everyone can be replaced. People, like pets, could also be replaced. Hendin (8:142) suggested that, generally, developmental psychologists agree that the child from birth to approximately two years of age has no comprehension of the concept of death. This is consistent with the argument that children in this age bracket are not capable of grasping any abstract concepts. Research has shown 6. that separation is the child's first concept of death and that this prevails until about age three. Papalia (12:367) pointed out that children two to three years of age rarely are upset by the sight of a dead animal or news about the death of a person since children of this age have no idea what death is. In their minds they generally confuse it with sleep or they ask in puzzlement, "Why doesn't it move?" Hendin (8:143) reported that between the ages of three and five children view death as a temporary situation like someone resting or taking a trip. "I know Daddy is dead, " said a five-year old, "but why doesn't he come home for dinner?" Death seems to be very clear to the children of this age, but it simply is not perceived as a permanent happening. Zeligs (18:394) also noted that three to five year old children have no concept of the finality of death. They freely talk of death in their play with their guns. as they pretend to shoot each other, but they conceive of death as a non-permanent separation, exemplified by their game of dying and getting up. Also dealing with this age group, Plank (13:331) stated that children have many thoughts and fantasies 7 about death. They still have difficulty distinguishing between animate and inanimate objects and they hardly conceive of permanent lifelessness, and therefore death is not necessarily final, but reversible. This misconception is illustrated as well by Nagy's (11:5) report of a five year old who, when asked what his father did down under the earth, answered, "he lies there, scratches the earth to come up to get a little air." Grollman (7:5) reported that youngsters from the ages of three to five may deny the finality of death and cannot think of it as a regular process. Death to these children is like sleep, "You are dead, then you are alive again. " Or it is like taking a journey; "You are gone, then you come back again." Grollman (7:6) continued: "Between five and nine, children appear to accept the idea that a person has died ... " but he does not fully u...11derstand it as something that will happen to everyone and particularly to himself. According to Papalia (12:368) children between the ages of seven, eight and nine are consumed with questions about death, often asking their parents when they will die. At about the age of nine, Grollman (7:6) said, 8 the child understands death as an inevitable experience which will occur to him. Nagy's (11:6) investigation of children aged 3 to 10 also demonstrated three main questions in the child's mind: "What is death?"; "What makes people die?"; "What happens to people when they die, where do they go?" Clark (3:705-6) stated that, like the adult, the child, when faced with separation of the loved object, goes through a mourning process characterized by shock or fright, protest, despair and detachment. When a child experiences the loss of a loved one, he may fear that he or his parents will die. Children sometimes are afraid to fall asleep since death and sleep are synonymous to the child and he is afraid he will not awaken. The child may also fear he may have caused the death because of hostile feelings and death wishes at times of frustration or jealousy of siblings, according to Zeligs (18:394). According to Srr~rt (15:15) children usually take longer than adults to pass through the phases of grief and mourning. Children under six years cannot conceive of the finality-of death. return. They expect the loved one to Every separation, even though temporary, is 9. disturbing. Children often express their feelings about a death in indirect, delayed and disguised ways. Often ·a bereaved young child seems neither to know or care about his loss, but such appearances are deceiving. In many cases, children cannot move out of the first phase of reactions to death, continuing the protest and anger at separation and refusal to face the finality of the loss. The phase of despair and disorganization may come only after several years, hope and reorganization coming even later. Maria Nagy (11:26-27), in a study on the child's theories concerning death, investigated how children from three to ten years think of death. She employed written compositions, drawings and discussion alike in collecting the data from 378 children. of development. She found three stages The first is characteristic of children between three and five years. They deny death as are- gular and final process and see death as a departure, a further existence in changed circumstances. There were some children who thought of death as temporary. In the second stage, generally between the ages of five and nine, death is personified and considered a person. The children still try to keep it distant from themselves 10 though they recognize that it exists. the death-man carries off die. Only those whom Death is eventuality. In the third stage, generally about nine years of age, it is recognized that death is a process which takes place in each one of us. They know that death is inevitable. In 1971, Perry Childers and Mary Wimmer (2:1J01) made a study of children's awareness of the universality and irrevocability of death. The sample consisted of 75 children from the ages of four to ten years. The material included individual discussions and the children were asked to draw or write what death meant to them. The results showed that generally children understand the universality of death, and their understanding seemed.to be a function of age level since there seemed to be a sporadic progression as the age level increased. Tallmer, Formanek, and Tallmer (16:18) conducted a study to compare the concept of death of children in different socio-economic levels. Their hypothesis was that lower socio-economic status children would have a more adequate concept of death at each age level than middle socio-economic status children and that parental orientation and actual experiences with death would effect the acquisition of the concept in all classes. The sample 11 consisted of 199 children ranging from three to nine years of age. The children were administered a questionnaire dealing with animate and inanimate concept acquisition. They questioned the parents of each child concerning their orientation towards death and their explanations to their children. The results showed that older children's concept of death and of animate versus inanimate were more adequate than those of younger children. The concept of death developed more slowly than the differentiation between animate and inanimate. Neither parental explanation nor the child's experiences with death as reported by the parents showed a significant relationship with the adequacy of the concept of death. The difference between lower and middle class children was significant. Lower class children were more aware of the concept of death than middle class children. From Formanek (4:15) it can be learned that: The responses from children between the ages of three through nine years to our question about the meaning of the word "dead" were classified on the basis of the maturity of the explanation. For example at the most immature level, children did not understand our question or thought that "dead" means "You can't hear" - confusing the word with "deaf." 12 At the next stage, children gave partial explanations based on information they had gathered here and there, somehow associated with the word "dead." They would say, for example, that "dead" meant that "you either go to the hospital or to the funeral," or "you go to the angel," or "you can't walk or play the piano anymore." At the most mature stage of' understanding of the concept, children indicate that death implied both universality and finality. Only twenty per cent of the seven to nine year olds in our sample had reached this stage. In summary, all the studies concluded that children up to age five did not comprehend the concept of death, even though it may seem from their games that they do understand. It was also indicated by the studies that children nine years and older do understand the concept of death. The experience of loss of' a loved pet may be for the child an experience with the concept of death. However, the parents often replace the dead pet with a new one, thereby showing the child that for every dead thing an immediate substitute is available. Chapter 3 PROCEDURE The researcher individually·interviewed children in the age groups 4-5, 6-7, and 8-9. The sample included some forty-nine Israeli children who lost their father in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, ages four years through nine years. There were sixteen children in two of the age groups, and seventeen in the third. The control group was comprised of thirty-six Israeli children whose fathers were living, two age groups of sixteen, and one of seventeen children. All the children were from middle-class families; all were Jewish. They were of various ethnic backgrounds, that is, both of European and of Oriental origins. The variables studied included: 1) experiencing the death of the father, 2) experiencing the death of the father during combat, rather than death by illness or other cause, and 3) the selected age groups of the children. An open-ended questionnaire adapted by the investigator from the work of Childers and Wimmer (2:1300) was implemented. The children were visited by the researcher in their homes, and an individual discussion was conducted 14 with each subject, in which they were asked the questions listed in the questionnaire. A play situation was implemented for the youngest children (ages 4-5), using dolls to represent a family. It was explained that the father had died, and the child was asked questions concerning the family and the possibility of each member's participation in a futt~e event. Data Collection A schedule for individual interviews with the children was organized. These interviews each followed a designated sequence of questions: i.e. 1. Give a list of things which are alive. 2. Is a ball, moon, watch alive? J. Is a flower, dog, bird alive? 4. Have you seen anything or anyone dead? Tell me about it. 5. What happens when you or someone dies? 6. What are some things living people can do? 7. Which of these things can dead people do? 8. Does this mean they can come back to life? 9. Under what conditions does one die? 10. Can children die? 15 Those aged 4-5 years also were presented with a play situation. After the interview, the four dolls, representing a family, were placed upright on a table. The researcher told each child that this was a family - a father, mother, sister, brother. father was killed in a war. She explained that the Then the doll representing the father was laid down, without removing it from the table. She then told the child that the family was planning to take a trip after the war, and asked the child to point out which members of the family would go on the trip. If the child indicated that the father would be included in the event, it was demonstrated that the child did not understand the permanence of death. Analysis of Data Initially, each interview was taped. The material thus collected was then recorded on a schedule form which included the child's name, age, age at the time of father's death, space for ans"tvers to the questions, and space for the researcher's evaluation of the child's understanding of death. In the evaluation of the child's comprehension of death, the researcher determined that two wrong ansers showed a lack of understanding of death. (See Appendix A.) 16 In the process of the interviews, the responses to questions concerning what dead people can do, if they can return to life, under what conditions does one die, and can children die, were the most significant in evaluating the child's understanding of the concept. The play situation was recorded on a separate form for each child. The form included the child's name, age, age at the time of father's death, the way the child responded when asked: go on this trip?". "Which members of the family will The evaluation by the researcher as to the child's understanding of death also was recorded on this form. (See Appendix B.) The Chi Square Test, at the 0.05 level, was used to determine if the results were significant. 17 Chapter 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Null hypothesis I proposed that there would be no difference in the cognitive awareness of death in children of different ages. The Chi Square Test was employed to determine if there was a significant difference in awareness and understanding of death of children in age groups 4-5, 6-7, and 8-9 years. The computed chi square was 14.6404, the criterion value was 5.991 with 2 degrees of freedom, significance level 0.05. The data were significant. (See Table 1.) The data provide for the rejection of null hypothesis I -(see Table 1). Thus, the finding that there is a difference in the cognitive awareness of death in children of different ages in this study confirms the earlier studies of Childers and Wimmer (2). The Chi Square Test in both the fatherless group and the control group was applied to data from the interview alone, without regard to the play situation, as the play situation was applied only to one age group. The test has shown that in age group 4-5 years none of the children (neither of living nor of deceased 18 fathers) understood the meaning of death when using the qeustionnaire; in age group 6-7 approximately half of the children did comprehend the finality of death; and in age group 8-9 the proportion rose to approximately 2:J. Null hypothesis II proposed that there would be no difference in the understanding of death between children who had suffered the loss of a father in the Yom Kippur War, and those who had not. A total of 85 children were tested - 49 in the fatherless group and 36 in the control group. Of these 85, JJ understood the meaning of death and 52 did not. The distribution is shown in Table 2. Age group 4-5 years contained 16 children who were fatherless. Their responses to the questionnaire indicated that none of them understood the meaning of death. There were 10 in the control group, nine of whom did not understand the meaning of death and one who did. (See Table 2.) The computed chi square was not significant at the 0.05 level. (See Table J.) In age group 4-5 there was no cognitive awareness of death in any of the children in the fatherless or control groups. Age group 6-7 consisted of 17 children who were fatherless, eight of whom understood the meaning of 19 death and nine who did not; there were 13 children in the control group, eight .of whom understood and five who did not. (See Table 4.) The computed chi square was not significant. (See Table 4.) In age group 6-7 there was no difference in the cognitive awareness of death between children in families with living or with deceased fathers. Age group 8-9 consisted of 16 children in the fatherless group of whom 10 understood the meaning of death and 6 did not; there were 13 children in the control group, of whom 9 understood the concept of death and 4 did not. (See Table 5.) The computed chi square was not.significant. In age group 8-9 there was no difference in the cognitive awareness of death between children of living and of deceased fathers. Null hypothesis II was accepted as there was no significant difference in the understanding of death between children in any given age group who suffered the loss of a father in the Yom Kippur War, and those who did not. (See Tables 3, 4, and 5·) In the play situation, each child, ages 4 to 5, without exception, gave the correct answer to the situation 20 and question presented. Even those children who during the interview showed no signs of comprehending the finality of death did not include the father as part of the whole post-war family, cognitively indicating comprehension of the concept of death. The data provided by the play situation conflicted with the results of the interview. Evidently, although they could not yet grasp the abstract concept of death as put to them in the verbal interview, even these young children comprehended the concept of death as presented to them visually. TABLE 1 Cognitive Awareness of Death in Children of Different Age Groups According to Chi Square Test Fatherless Group Comprehension Noncomprehenof Death sion of Death Age Group II II ... Total II II II II 4-5 years - 16 16 II II II II II 6-7 years 8 9 17 II II II II 8-9 years 10 Control GrouE Comprehension Noncomprehenof Death sion of Death Total 1 9 10 5 8 13 9 4 13 II 6 16 II II IJ II II 18 31 49 :I II II 15 - 21 --- - - Computed Chi Square - Fatherless group: Control group: 14.6404 8.2443 36 - The data are significant. There is a difference in the df = (2-1) (3-1) = 2 cognitive a\-Jareness of death Criterior Value (0.05) = 5.991 in children of different ages ages. N 1-' TABLE 2 Cognitive Awareness of Death in Children of Different Age Groups Number of Children II II II Fatherless Group II II II _Control Group II Age Group 4-5 6-7 8-9 Total 4-5 6-7 8-9 Total II II I II II " Comprehension of Death Total of Both Groups I - 8 10 18 1 5 9 15 I Noncomprehension of Death 16 9 6 31 Total 16 17 16 49 I 9 8 4 21 10 13 13 36 33 II II I 52 85 II N N 23 TABLE J Understanding of Death in Children Ages 4=2 Comparison of Children of Living and of Deceased Fathers Group Comprehension of Death Noncomprehension ' Total of Death Fatherless Group Control Group 1 16 16 9 10 25 26 I Total 1 Computed Chi Square = 1.6641 df = ( 2-1 ) ( 2-1 ) = 1 Criterion Value (0.05) = ).841 The data are not significant• There is no difference in the understanding of death between children ages 4-5 who have suffered the loss of a father in the Yom Kippur War, and those who have not. 24 TABLE 4 Understanding of Death in Childrep._~~..§~_6-.z Comparison of Children o:t: Living and qf Deceased_Ya!g.§r§_ Group Comprehension of Death Noncomprehension of Death ! Total ---t-----t--------~-·cFatherless Group 8 9 . 1 17 l 8 5 Control I 13 _G_r_o_u_p-----+----------1-------------t----Total 13 17 I 30 · ------------~--------------~-----------------L______ Computed Chi Square = 0.2216 df = (2-1) (2-1) = 1 Criterion Value (0.05) = 3.841 The data are not significant. There is no difference in the understanding of death between children ages 6-7 who have suffered the loss of a father in the Yom Kippur War, and those who have not. 25. TABLE 5 Understanding of Death in Childre~~e~-§~2 Comparison of Children of Living and Qf Deseased_Fathers Group Comprehension of Death Fatherless Group 10 Noncomprehension of Death Total 6 16 --, - - - - Control Group· 4 9 -- ----1-Total 19 13 10 29 - I Computed Chi Square = 0.1438 df = (2 -1 ) ( 2-1 ) = 1 Criterion Value (0.05) - 3.841 The data are not significant. There is no difference in the understanding of death between children ages 8-9 who have suffered the loss of a father in the Yom Kippur War, -.and those who ha7e not. 26 Chapter 5 SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS The purpose of this study was to investigate and determine the association between age and the understanding of death in two groups of children - those who had lost a father in the Yom Kippur War, and those who had not. The investigation compared 85 Israeli children, aged 4-9. The instrument used for evaluation of the child's understanding of death was an individual interview with each child, using a designated schedule of questions. For the youngest (4-5 year old) age group, a play situation was also used. Conclusions Null hypothesis I proposed that there would be no difference in the cognitive awareness in children of different ages. Null hypothesis I was rejected. The results indicate that the cognitive awareness of death differs in children of different ages. In age group 4-5 it is clearly evident that none of the children understood the meaning of death as tested with the interview, not even those who had experienced the loss of their father. Nearly all of the children 27 in the fatherless group and 90% of the children in the control group appeared not to have understood the concept of death as indicated by responses to the verbal questions. However, all the children in this group understood the concept of death when represented visually as indicated by their responses in the play situation. In age group 6-7, the results indicate that of the fatherless group, 47.05% understood the meaning of death and 52.94% did not; while in the control group 38.46% understood and 61.5% did not. The children of this age group began to understand the meaning of death, perhaps as a result of feelings at home, discussions in school, on the street and between parents. However, it seems that there was no real complete cognitive awareness of death in this age group, as many of the children answered "I do not know" to the questions posed to them. Thus definite comprehension or noncomprehension was difficult to determine. In age group 8-9, the percentage of children who understood the meaning of death was 62.5% in the fatherless group and 69.23% in the control group, as opposed to the 37.5% in the fatherless group and 30.77% in the control group who did not understand. In summary, it can be stated that from a.ge group 28 4-5 to age group 6-7 and from age group 6-7 to age group 8-9 there is a considerable increase in the understanding of death. However, as mentioned previously, it is diffi- cult to determine whether the understanding of death even of the children in age group 8-9 is a definite cognitive awareness. It seems that the mode of presentation of the questions may also significantly effect the responses, as demonstrated by the play situation in this study. Null hypothesis II proposed that there would be · no difference in the cognitive awareness of death between children who suffered the loss of a father in the Yom Kippur War and those who did not. was accepted. Null hypothesis II Results indicate that children in the control group responded similarly to those of the fatherless group. (See Table 2.) This study was performed in Israel, a country which has seen many wars, during a post-war period when the awareness of death was at a peak. Practically everyone, every child, if he did not suffer an immediate loss, knew of a neighbor, a teacher, a friend's father who had been killed. Thus, death may be just as much a reality to the children whose fathers survived the war as it was to those who lost their father in the war. Therefore, 29- the results from the fatherless group were almost identical to those from the control group. A similar comparison, if performed in the United States between children who lost a parent as a result of illness or accident and children who did not suffer such a loss, might possibly show different results. The following responses to questions posed to the children involved in this study also might be particular to the Israeli child's awareness of death. Question 5 asked "What happens when you or someone dies?" Responses from those in the age group 4-5 included the following: Approximately 20 percent indicated that they did not know. With the exception of one child, who answered correctly, the rest gave var1ing answers such as "He does not move," "He goes to God," "He does not come home, " "He lies down and afterwards is buried, " "He can't do anything- not even play," "He falls asleep and never wakes up," "He bleeds a lot." Those in age group 6-7 gave such responses as "He does not live." up to heaven." Many said "He is buried and goes Others who seemed to understand to a greater extent said "He does not breathe," and gave examples of a dead fish or dog. A number of children said that when someone dies he is seriously wounded and is 30- taken to the hospital and afterwards is buried." Those in age group 8-9 said: "He stops breathing, there is no spirit of life in him, he is buried, it is like sleeping but he is unable to wake up." Question 8 asked, "Does this mean they can come back to life?" Those in age group 4-5 gave such responses as: "A dead person can come back in a dream." they didn't know. Many said Some said "yes , " s orne answered "no. '' Of the 6-7 age group, almost all said "no." A few answered positively. In the 8-9 age group almost all answered "no." Question 9 asked, "Under what conditions does one die?" Those in the 4-5 age group gave answers that might be typical of the children in a country at war: "gun, rifle," was repeated many times, or "killed in a war. " Only a few said "He can be run over by a car. " Some said "He can die in a war." Those in age group 6-7 gave similar answers, in addition to "a serious illness, or old age." But most mentioned death as a result of war. Those in age group 8-9 also gave many answers 31 related to war, although a larger percent mentioned accidents and illnesses as well. Question 10 asked, "Can children die?'' Those in age group 4-5 had the following responses: Some of the children answered that children cannot die. Some said that children can also die from a gun or a rifle. There were also answers like: "Yes, if they don't eat, if they play dangerous games, they can get run over." One said, "Children can almost never die. They don't fight in wars because they are only children." Those in age group 6-7, as well, said that children cannot die, while others in the group said that children can die just as adults die. Accidents as a cause of death appeared ,here in addition to answers like "war," and "terrorists." In age group 8-9, the researcher was surprised to see that many of the children said that children can die in war. Only a few mentioned illness or accidents. There was no significant difference between the answers of the children in the fatherless group and those of the control group. This once again supported the hypothesis that there is no difference in the understanding of death between children who lost their father in war 32 and those who did not; and this, perhaps is specific to Israel at a post-war time. Play Situation In this study, the play situation was contradictory in its results to the questionnaire. All of the children, even in age group 4-5, knew that the father was dead, that he was not present. presented death visually to the The play situation child~ However, when probing deeper, the child did not understand the conditions of death, the reason for the father's non-presence, the finality of death. One child said, "Of course, you can not come back after you die, but when I die I will come back so my,mother will not be sad." Perhaps the representational level actually reflects the cognitive level more closely than the verbal questions, but this researcher believes that the play situation was not a useful instrument, and would not recommend that it be used again. Of course this reaction is not conclusive; this issue should certainly be investigated further. 33 Recommendations This study was performed immediately after the Yom Kippur War of 1973 and, thus, perhaps, used a population that may have been more familiar and understanding of death than usual. Further studies are therefore recommended using the same variables, but carried out during peace time. It would be most interesting to compare the results of such a study with the present one. Additional studies of the same type might be performed on children of other cultures. This might aid in determining the importance of the factor of war and the familiarity of war on the child's comprehension of death. 34 BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Anthony, Sylvia. and After. 2. The Discovery_of Death in Childhood New York: Basic Books, 1972. Childers , Perry and Wimmer, Mary. Death in Early Childhood." "The Concept of Child Development, 42:4:1299-1301, 1971. J. Clark, Margie B. "A Therapeutic Approach to Treating a Grieving 2-1/2 Year Old." Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 11:4:405- 711, 1972. 4. Formanek, Ruth. "When Children Ask About Death; " Elementary School Journal, 75:2:92-97, 1974. 5. Gibney, Harriet H. "What Death Means to Children." Parents Magazine, 65:136-141, 1965. 6. Ginott, Haim. Between Parent and Child. New York; Macmillan, 1965. 7. Grollman, Earl. Boston: 8. Explaining Death to Children. Beacon, 1967. Hendin, David. Death as a Fact of Life. New York: Norton, 197J. 9. Kastenbaum, Robert. New York: The Psychology of Death. Springer Pub. Co., 1972. 35 10. Kubler-Ross, Elizabeth. New York: On ~eath and pzing. National Broadcasting Company, Inc. U.S. Catholic Conference, 1974. 11. Nagy, Maria. Death." "The Child's Theories Concerning Journal of Genetics and Psychology, 73:3-27, 1948. 12. Papalia, Daine E. and Oldo, Sally. Infancy Through Adolescence. A Child's World New York: McGraw- Hill, 1975. 13. Plank, Emma N. "Young Children and Death." Young Children, 23:6:331-336, 1961. 14. Schilder, P. and Wechsler, D. Children Toward Death. " "The Attitudes of Journal of Genetic Psychology, 45:406-451,.1934. 15. Smart, Mollie. Children." 16. "Program on What Death Means to Parents Magazine, March, 15-16, 1965. Tallmer, Margot, Formanek, Ruth and Tallmer, Jill. Factors Influencing Children's Concepts of Death." Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 3:2:17-19, 1974. 17. Von-Hug Hellmuth, Hermine. Death." 18. Zeligs, Rose. "The Child's Concept of Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 34:499-516,1965. "Children's Attitudes Toward Death." Mental Hygiene, 51:393-396, 1965. 36 APPENDIX A Sample Interview Evaluation Form (Translation) Child's Name:(Yael) Age: (5) Male/Female: (female) Age at Time of Father's Death: (2) Questions 1. Give a list of things which are alive.(dog,cat,bird) 2. Is a ball, moon, watch alive? J. Is a flower, dog, bird alive? (no,yes,yes) 4. Have you ever seen anything or anyone dead? (no,no~,~n=o~)______________ Tell me about it. (No, I never saw.) 5. What happens when you or someone dies? (He can't eat anymore, and can't live. When our fish died, they took him out of the aquarium. 6. What are some things living people can do? (eat,talk) 7. Which of these things can dead people do?(I don't know) 8. Does this mean they can come back to life?(don't know) 9. Under what conditions does one die?(From a bomb or from a rifle. 10. Can children die? (No, yes from a bomb.) Evaluation no ~~----------------------------------------------- 37 APPENDIX B Sample Play Situation Evaluation Form (Translation) Child's Name:(Yael) Male/Female: (female) Age: Age at Time of Father's Death: (2) (5) Play Situation Pro~ The child pointed out: (mother) (son) (daughter) Evaluation (yes)