Persistence of Attitude Changes After Near-Death Experiences
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease March 29, 2022 DOI: 10.1097/nmd.0000000000001521 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 63 |
| Population | People who described near-death experiences |
| Duration | Two decades between administrations |
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Citations | 22 |
| Key findings | Attitude changes reported after near-death experiences persisted without significant change over a period of two decades. |
Abstract
Abstract The aim of this study was to compare attitude changes reported by people who described near-death experiences (NDEs) at two periods two decades apart, to ascertain whether the attitude changes persisted over time. Participants completed the Life Changes Inventory (LCI) upon entry into the study and again two decades later, and the NDE Scale to quantify depth of the experience. Sixty-three participants (mean age at entry into study, 46 ± 10 years) had scores on the NDE Scale typical of other near-death experiencers. Scores on the LCI showed significant changes in attitudes toward life and death both on entry into the study and two decades later. LCI scores showed no significant change over that period, nor was there a significant correlation between change in LCI scores and time elapsed between the two administrations. NDEs appear to be unusual in the long-term persistence of attitude changes.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on near-death experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands Cardiac patients successfully resuscitated after cardiac arrest in ten Dutch hospitals | 2001 | Prospective cohort study | n = 344 |
| Incidence and correlates of near-death experiences in a cardiac care unit Cardiac inpatients at a tertiary care center | 2003 | Observational cohort | n = 1,595 |
| Features of "near-death experience" in relation to whether or not patients were near death Patients who believed they were near death during an illness or after an injury and... | 1990 | Observational cohort | n = 58 |
| The phenomenology of near-death experiences Subjects who reported near-death experiences | 1980 | Retrospective study | n = 78 |
| Near-Death Experiences and the Temporal Lobe Individuals who reported having had a near-death experience during a life-threatening... | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 13
- Long-term transformational effects of near-death experiences. Explore 2024
- Ayahuasca-induced personal death experiences: prevalence, characteristics, and impact on attitudes toward death, life, and the environment Frontiers in Psychiatry December 19, 2023
- Consciousness and the Dying Brain. Anesthesiology June 1, 2024
- The Near-Death Experience and Suicidal Ideation. OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying March 10, 2023
- The veridical Near-Death Experience Scale: construction and a first validation with human and artificial raters Frontiers in Psychology October 16, 2025
and 8 more in the library
Cites 18
- Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands The Lancet December 1, 2001
- The Near-Death Experience Scale The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease June 1, 1983
- Incidence and correlates of near-death experiences in a cardiac care unit General Hospital Psychiatry July 1, 2003
- Dissociation in people who have near-death experiences: out of their bodies or out of their minds? The Lancet February 1, 2000
- Consistency of near-death experience accounts over two decades: Are reports embellished over time? Resuscitation February 8, 2007
and 13 more in the library