DEATH AND DYING AMONG PAKISTANI MUSLIM POPULATION

Abstract

Death is a uniformly upsetting phenomenon for the individuals of every society; however, the ways in which the idea of death handled varies according to society’s psychological, religious and moral norms. The present inquiry was an exploratory survey aimed to explore fears related to death and dying among the Pakistani Muslim population. Sample of (N=251) completed Death and Dying Questionnaire (DDQ), originally designed for the present study. DDQ showed internal consistency (α=.811). The majority agreed on the meaninglessness of life without death (26.7%), death as a painful event (25.9%) and end at the start of a new journey (29.9%). Mixed opinions were obtained for the quality of death. A higher agreement was shown for punishment after death (36.7%) and witnessing other's death (32.3%). Mixed opinions were obtained for the inability to accomplish the future task and fulfilling the needs of family members after death.