Resumen

FONSECA, Mayra Rachel de Aguiar et al. Meanings of the Death and Dying Process of University Students in the Health Area. Rev. Subj. [online]. 2023, vol.23, n.1, e12950.  Epub 09-Mar-2026. ISSN 2359-0769.  https://doi.org/10.5020/23590777.rs.v23i1.e12950.

This research aimed to understand the meanings attributed by academics in the health area to the death and dying process. The qualitative cross-sectional method was used, and as a mediator instrument for data collection, the semi-structured interview. Twenty-four university students from different courses participated in the research, namely Psychology (6), Physiotherapy (6), Medicine (6), and Nursing (6) from a higher education institution in the Brazilian Northeast. Discursive textual analysis was developed. Three thematic categories that emerged from the collected data were analyzed, namely meanings and concepts of death and dying, challenges and feelings that emerge in the face of death and dying, and the theme of death and dying in undergraduate courses. Among the results, it is highlighted that the reports presented demonstrated a diversity of understanding of death among academics, with the social, historical, and cultural context being a relevant factor in the influence of these understandings. Separation, continuity of life, and spiritualist understanding were some of the concepts and meanings of death explained by academics in this research. The speeches exemplified that dealing with death generates disorder and confusion and can lead to denial as a way of moving away from painful experiences. In addition, they expressed the presence of the naturalization of death in the academic construction of the health professional, directed to the need to cure the patient and to prolong life. It is inferred that academic training is insufficient for the elaboration of this process of coping with death and dying. It was concluded that elaborating meanings about the death and dying processes allows future professionals to develop a qualified, ethical, and human performance, understanding their abilities to provide the patient with a humanized process of finitude.

Palabras llave : university students; death; to die.

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