From Taboo to Resilience: Redefining Children’s Concept of Death to Mitigate Future Anxiety

Abstract

Death, despite its universality, remains a taboo subject in many families and educational settings. Avoidance is often driven by a desire to protect children from emotional distress, yet evidence suggests that protective silence fosters latent anxiety. Developmental psychology demonstrates that young children possess the cognitive capacity to comprehend foundational components of death, such as finality and irreversibility. This paper argues that cognitive readiness must be paired with a warm emotional climate and structured communication to develop a healthy concept of death. We propose evidence-based guidelines for adults-including the use of direct language, biological explanations, acknowledgment of spiritual contexts, and experiential tools-to empower children and mitigate future death-related anxiety.