Although death may be personified as an angel, skeleton, or ghost, this age group is beginning to understand death as permanent, universal, and inevitable. They may be very curious about the physical process of death and what happens after a person dies. They may fear their own death because of uncertainty of what happens to them after they die. Fear of the unknown, loss of control, and separation from family and friends can be the school-aged child's main sources of anxiety and fear related to death. As with people of all ages, past experiences and emotional development greatly influence an adolescent's concept of death.
Most adolescents understand the concept that death is permanent, universal, and inevitable.
They may or may not have had past experiences with death of a family member, friend, or pet. Adolescents, similar to adults, may want to have their religious or cultural rituals observed. Most adolescents are beginning to establish their identity, independence, and relationship to peer groups. A predominant theme in adolescence is feelings of immortality or being exempt from death. Their realization of their own death threatens all of these objectives.