A commentary: fearlessness about death - a static or a dynamic quality?

Introduction: The work by T. Teismann et al. on the fearlessness about death raises a question: is it a static and stable quality? Is it possible that it changes during life in one way or another because of some events? Objective s: The objective of this article is to explore these problems. Methods: The article includes the results of three studies on attitudes and fears of death. Two studies explored these questions in students (2012-2015, N=944, 451 males, 493 females, national sample, and 2016, N=221, 50 males, 171 females, M=19,7, SD=1,19, Cheboksary), and one study addressed these issues in people in acute postsuicide, administered to the Sklifosovsky Emergency Research Institute, male and female departments of toxicology (N=185, 65 males, 120 females of 18-25 years of age, M=21,3, SD=2,42) in comparison with the sample of students from the State University of Management (N=156, 39 males, 117 females, M=19,9, SD=2,85). In the study of suicidals we used following instruments: Death Attitude Profile-Revised, Fear of Personal Death Scale, Experience in Close Relationships-Revised, Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory, Hardiness Survey, Beck Depression Inventory. We present the results from Death Attitude Profile Revised, Fear of Death scale from the national study. From Cheboksary study we give the results on SelfCompassion Scale, Future Self Scale and Death Attitude Profile Revised and Reasons for Living Scale. Results: Our studies show that though male university students (M=3,7, SD=1,37) differ from female students (M=4,06, SD=1,46) in fear of death: t(942) = -3,989, рCohen=0,254, low practical significance), suicidals (both male and female) after an unsuccessful attempt fear death more than people in normal conditions, while people with suicidal thoughts (before the attempt) are characterized by relative fearlessness. The logistic regression showed that people in acute postsuicide, both males and females, differ from the normative sample. They exhibit higher fears of consequences of death for personality, avoidance of death in ordinary life, and depression, as well as higher negative past and lower approach-acceptance of death (belief in the afterlife): classification accuracy 78,3% with the cutoff 0,5; R2 Cox=0,36, R2 Naselkerke=0,48. Besides, analysis of differences of people with the denial of suicidal attempt (N=43), with one (N=105) and several suicidal attempts (N=37) and norm (N=156) with ANOVA Games-Howell post-hoc test showed a gradual escalation of negative time perspective, anxious style of attachment and depression, and decrease of hardiness with the raise of suicidal experience. Fears of death were elevated in all categories of suicidal patients, but in people with one suicidal attempt they were the most prominent, while acceptance of death was the most pronounced in people with several attempts. Moreover, results of a new study is provided (2016): there is a negative correlation of self-compassion with fear of death and fear of suicide. Conclusion: These facts suggest that fearlessness about death is a labile characteristic, a transient feeling, it’s not permanent, but is dependent on other personal qualities and life events. One should consider this result in screenings along with the fearlessness of death in people with suicidal ideation, but without actual attempts. Non-suicidological questionnaires need to be included into screenings, as they can reveal general psychological ill-being and provide vectors for psychological correction. The last study also confirms the necessity to acknowledge the raise of the death fears in suicidal dynamics.