Children’s near-death experiences: A narrative review and future directions for investigating near-death experiences with children.
Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice March 30, 2026 Donna Thomas, Graeme O’Connor
Children's near-death experiences (NDEs) are far less studied than those of adults. A review of the literature reveals very few studies that directly involve children and no clear research direction for this area. This scarcity poses challenges for researchers aiming to develop studies with children and generate more knowledge about NDEs. From a phenomenological perspective, children may be a crucial group for investigating consciousness at the time of death and should be included more in fields such as NDE and consciousness studies. This article addresses the lack of evidence by reviewing existing studies on children's NDEs and proposes future directions for involving children in near-death research.