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Background: There is a lack of studies investigating death anxiety among the oldest old based on a large, nationally representative sample during the pandemic. Thus, our aim was to investigate the prevalence and determinants of death anxiety among the oldest old in Germany during the Covid‐19 pandemic. Methods: Cross‐sectional data were taken from the 'Old Age in Germany' (D80+) study. This is a large, nationwide representative study including individuals 80 years and over living at home and individuals in institutionalised settings (N = 9542 individuals in the analytic sample). Results: Overall, 30% of the respondents reported the absence of death anxiety, 45.5% reported a rather not strong death anxiety, 20.2% reported a rather strong death anxiety, and 4.3% reported a very strong death anxiety. Linear regressions revealed that higher death anxiety was significantly associated with being female (β = 0.21, P < 0.01), younger age (β = −0.02, P < 0.001), being married (β = 0.09, P < 0.001), high education (compared to low education, β = 0.07, P < 0.05), the presence of meaning in life (β = 0.13, P < 0.001), higher loneliness levels (β = 0.18, P < 0.001), the presence of multimorbidity (β = 0.07, P < 0.05), and poorer self‐rated health (β = −0.07, P < 0.001). A further analysis showed that probable depression (β = 0.31, P < 0.001) is also associated with higher death anxiety. Conclusion: About one in four individuals had a strong or very strong fear of death during the pandemic. Several sociodemographic, psychosocial, and health‐related factors are associated with higher death anxiety. This better understanding of the determinants of death anxiety can be relevant for, among others, the affected individuals, informal and professional carers, as well as friends and relatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractNumerous tools assess death anxiety, but many have questionable psychometric properties. The Death Anxiety Beliefs and Behaviors Scale (DABBS) addresses these shortcomings, assessing death-related maladaptive affect, beliefs, and behaviors that could be foundational to fears associated with death. We translated the DABBS into Persian and examined its psychometric properties among Iranian adolescents (n = 598, Mage = 14.80, range = 12-18 years old). Confirmatory factor analyses supported the intended three-factor structure that comprises death-related affect, beliefs, and behaviors. Furthermore, the DABBS demonstrated good internal consistency, as well as expected associations with other measures of death anxiety and psychopathology measures, except that the Behaviors subscale unexpectedly did not relate to theoretically relevant constructs. Our findings indicate that the DABBS affect and belief subscales have strong psychometric properties among Iranian adolescents. However, further research is needed to elucidate whether the overall DABBS score demonstrates improved validity when used with other populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an argument for the recovery of the doctrine of the resurrection of the flesh. I argue that the doctrine accords with creedal and doctrinal tradition (§2), as well as the scriptural witness about the goodness and destiny of human flesh (§3). I then outline what it means to say – minimally – that the flesh (or 'numerically the same body') will be raised (§4). In §5, I argue that the doctrine speaks to the unique predicament of human beings, namely, that our very being (our flesh) is the site and source of our greatest fear – the fear of death. By focusing its proffered hopes on the same flesh in which our deepest fears are located, the promise of resurrection is shown to be a 'peculiar treasure'. Finally, I suggest in §5a‐5c three practices by which the church can inculcate this hope in the face of death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the problems related to the ageing society, effective strategies to reduce younger people's ageism towards older adults should be developed. Previous studies incorporated the content of stereotype embodiment theory (SET) into ageism reduction strategy, suggesting that younger participants' ageism eventually has undesirable impacts on their own future (i.e., SET intervention). In the SET intervention, participants read an explanatory text on several empirical findings related to SET. To enhance the versatility of this intervention, two experiments were conducted with younger participants in Japan. Study 1 examined concerns that arise in the practical application of the intervention. Results revealed that the SET intervention had few effects on fear of death and increased state self‐esteem. In Study 2, the SET intervention was combined with interventions to encourage life planning, in which they freely described possible negative/positive events in their future. SET intervention reduced ageism, increased advocacy for policies to support older adults and increased emphasis on life planning and hope for the future. Many previous studies have shown that intergenerational contact‐based interventions are effective in reducing ageism, and future research should be conducted in combination with the SET interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article in the Alabama Review explores the journal of Sarah Gayle, a woman living in early-nineteenth-century Alabama, focusing on her contemplation of faith, loss, and the afterlife. Sarah's journal entries reveal her contradictory and emotionally charged musings on religion, death, and the value of religious beliefs. She expresses a deep longing for a confident faith and hope for reunion with loved ones after death, while grappling with doubts and fears surrounding mortality. The article provides insights into Sarah's complex relationship with religion and her search for comfort and assurance in the face of life's uncertainties. [Extracted from the article]

Narcissistic personality is an ego centric personality characterized by obsession with oneself, disregard for others, and lack of empathy. It forms a spectrum from normal to pathological levels. A narcissistic person unconsciously fears death because he/she pursues immortality and omnipotence. A narcissistic person does not consider others important. Thus, he/she does not mourn separation or loss. It might be a characteristic defense of narcissistic personality. The authors selected by Japanese author Yoko Sano as a text. Many people loved the cat and cried and mourned when the cat died. However, he was reborn immediately a million times. The cat loved only itself. The cat then met a white cat and fell in love for the first time. They lived together. As time passed, the white cat died. For the first time, the cat cried out loud in sadness. After crying and crying, he stopped moving and dying. He was not reborn again. The authors viewed the cat as a narcissistic personality and interpreted its active avoidance and denial of separation, death, and mourning as a narcissistic defense. Repeating this only strengthened his narcissistic traits. However, the momentum of change was falling in love. Losing a loved one and going through the process of mourning the eternal separation of death for the first time became the trigger for the change in narcissistic personality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients who have previously undergone coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) were prone to death anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. It appears that spiritual well-being and appropriate coping strategies may mitigate the harmful effects of death anxiety. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the level of death anxiety in patients with CABG during the COVID-19 pandemic and investigate the relationship between spiritual well-being, coping strategies and death anxiety. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 patients with CABG history in Tehran from June 2021 to February 2022. The face-to-face questionnaire, containing questions on demographics, Templer's death anxiety scale, the spiritual well-being questionnaire, and the ways of coping questionnaire was administered to collect data. Statistical analysis was performed using descriptive-analytical statistics, correlation tests, and logistic regression models. Participants' mean age was 55.59 ± 12.78 years. The mean death anxiety score was 10.00 ± 2.16, with 87% of participants reporting high levels and 13% reporting low levels of death anxiety. Based on the results, there was a significant negative correlation between death anxiety and coping strategies, as well as subscales of distancing, seeking social support, accepting responsibility, and planful problem-solving. Logistic regression showed that with the increase in the score of spiritual well-being, the odds of having high levels of death anxiety decreased (p < 0.05). Furthermore, increasing the total score of coping strategies, and the score of self-controlling, seeking social support, accepting responsibility, and planful problem-solving, significantly reduced the odds of high levels of death anxiety (p < 0.05). The study showed that patients with a CABG history experienced high death anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the findings, spiritual well-being and coping strategies, especially self-controlling, seeking social support, accepting responsibility, and planful problem-solving, may reduce the odds of severe death anxiety. These should be considered as effective targets for psychological intervention in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Witnessing someone die can bring about an array of emotional pain, fear, and despair. In this autoethnography, the author tells a story of the time he witnessed two young African American men fall victim to violence in his hometown of Gary, Indiana. Throughout this essay, the author graphically describes the overwhelming shock and impact of witnessing their deaths and how that moment engulfed him emotionally. Through this narrative he explores the complex emotions that arose from this traumatic experience, one that compelled him to examine the complexities of facing his own mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: End-of-life care in long-term care institutions is increasingly important. Nursing assistants are the primary care workforce, and their end-of-life care capabilities affect the quality of care provided to residents as well as residents' physical and mental health. Purpose: This study was designed to explore the life attitudes, fear of death status, end-of-life care abilities and experience, and coping styles of nursing assistants in long-term care institutions in the eastern region and the effects of these variables on care. Method: A cross-sectional, mixed-methods research design was used. The study included 165 nursing assistants working in long-term care facilities in Taitung and Hualien counties. The study questionnaire included items covering life attitudes, fear of death, and dying care abilities. In addition, in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 of the participants. Results: Most of the participants held positive attitudes toward life and reported having a low to moderate fear of death. A significant and positive correlation between life attitude and dying care ability was identified (r = .426, p < .001). Although average ability to provide physical care to residents at end of life was found to be relatively good, ability to provide emotional support and allow residents to express their emotions was generally poor. The scales of fear of death, life attitude toward love and care, ideals, and high school education were identified as significant predictors of dying care ability, together explaining 22.8% of the variance. The interview results were summarized into five major themes that also echoed the quantitative results. Conclusions/ Implications for Practice: Attitudes toward life and fear of death partially were shown to influence the dying care ability of the nursing assistants in this study. Dying care skills should be strengthened in nursing assistants, and they should be encouraged to explore the meanings of life and death through on-the-job education. Also, long-term care institutions should show concern for and support their nursing assistants by sponsoring case discussions, care experience sharing sessions, and support groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organ donation is an ambivalent prosocial behavior. It triggers altruistic values and reminds people of death related thoughts at the same time. Due to the characteristics of organ donation, prior studies examined the impact of different types of mortality salience (conventional manipulation: ask participants to write down their thoughts once they are physically dead vs. narrative manipulation: ask participants to read a narrative of a cancer patient) on organ donation. However, without acknowledging the unique feature of organ donation, different types of mortality salience generated opposing results in organ donation. Hence, in this article, the purpose of Study 1 is to investigate if an organ donation campaign can remind people of their own mortality. Furthermore, although previous studies discovered that non-cognitive factors, such as mortality salience and medical mistrust, affect organ donation, few studies investigated how to resolve those non-cognitive factors to promote organ donation rate. Therefore, the purpose of Study 2 is to study how to help people address the fear of death caused by organ donation. Two online experiments were executed on Amazon Turk Prime to bridge the knowledge gaps. Study 1 found that an organ donation campaign can increase people's death related thoughts. Study 2 discovered that an enhanced altruistic worldview value can help people diminish organ donation triggered fear by decreasing medical mistrust. In addition, this study also revealed that medical mistrust as a causal factor mediated the effect between worldview value and perceptions of organ donation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Background Objective Design Methods Results Conclusions Relevance to Clinical Practice In China, caregiving for cancer patients is primarily the responsibility of family members. This role often exposes family caregivers to the contemplation of mortality. Death anxiety among family caregivers may influence the care they offer to cancer patients.This study aims to evaluate the prevailing level of death anxiety among Chinese family caregivers of cancer patients and identify its influencing factors.This cross‐sectional study followed the STROBE statement.A total of 220 family caregivers of cancer patients were recruited from a prominent tertiary hospital in southern China. The survey included a general information questionnaire, the Collett–Lester Fear of Death Scale, the Social Support Rating Scale and the Simple Coping Style Questionnaire. In addition to descriptive statistics, ANOVA, mean differences, correlations and regression analyses were computed.The average score for death anxiety among family caregivers of cancer patients was 104.27 ± 21.02. Death anxiety was negatively correlated with a positive coping style and social support. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that marital status, death education, patients' fear of death and coping style accounted for 41.0% of the variance in death anxiety among family caregivers.Family caregivers of cancer patients experienced a moderate level of death anxiety. Individuals who were unmarried or divorced, lacked death education, had negative coping styles or cared for patients with fear of death tended to have high levels of death anxiety.Healthcare providers should act as credible educators to reduce caregivers' death anxiety by imparting positive coping styles and accurate knowledge and values about death so caregivers can provide high‐quality care to patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "Bestiarium Greenlandica: A Compendium of the Mythical Creatures, Spirits, and Strange Beings of Greenland" by Maria Bach Kreutzmann explores the mythical creatures of Greenland, including the Kliffak, Qivittoq, Tupilak, and Toornat. These creatures are deeply rooted in Greenlandic mythology and folklore, with unique characteristics and abilities. The author, Maria Bach Kreutzmann, has a passion for Greenlandic monsters and has written two books on the subject, delving into the rich cultural heritage of Greenland. [Extracted from the article]

This study aimed to determine the relationship between self-care agency and death anxiety among elderly individuals. The study sample consisted of 163 elderly individuals who applied to the internal medicine and chest diseases outpatient clinic of a university hospital. Death anxiety (DAS) and Self-care agency (SCAS) scales were used for data collection. The mean DAS score of the participants was found 6.76 ± 3.25 and low. The mean SCAS scores was 94.35 ± 16.37 and moderate. A positive very weak correlation was found between self-care agency and death anxiety (p = 0.044, r = 0.158). Elderly individuals without regular income had higher levels of death anxiety compared to those with regular income (p < 0.05). A significant difference was found in death anxiety levels with respect to the sex and marital status (p < 0.05). The low-level death anxiety on elderly individuals may have a positive effect on maintaining their self-care agency. Nurses should engage in training activities and interventions to increase the levels of self-care agency and determine the death anxiety among elderly individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was conducted to determine the death anxiety experienced by heart patients and the affecting factors in the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was conducted with 148 patients hospitalized in the cardiology clinic of a university hospital between April and August 2021 in the southeast in Turkey. The data were collected with the personal information form, death anxiety scale, coronavirus anxiety scale and Covid-19 fear scale developed by the researchers. Data analysis was performed by using IBM SPSS Statistics 25. Descriptive statistics were used in the analysis of the data. Correlation and regression analysis were performed to determine the relationship between scales. The mean age of the patients was 64.99+15.56 years and 56.1% were male. 57.4% of them were hospitalized with a diagnosis of coronary artery disease. During the pandemic, it was determined that 74.3% of the patients followed social distance, 71.6% wore masks, 58.8% used disinfectants. The patients had moderate death anxiety, low coronavirus anxiety, and high covid 19 fear. A positive linear correlation was found between anxiety and fear scale and death anxiety total and sub-dimensions. As a result, the fear of COVID-19 may increase the fear of death in individuals with heart disease. Patients who are worried about being infected with Covid 19 during the pandemic process have more fear of death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the effectiveness of a counselling program in reducing the death anxiety and improving self-efficacy among a sample of female middle-aged teachers recovered from COVID-19 virus in Jordan. The latter program is based on cognitive behavioural therapy. The sample consists from 22 female middle-aged teachers recovered from COVID-19 virus. The ages of those children range between 35 and 50 years. The study was carried out during the year 2020–2021. The chosen teachers were divided into two groups randomly (i.e. control and experimental groups). The experimental group consists from 11 teachers who were enrolled in the proposed counselling program that is based on cognitive behavioural therapy. This program consists from 16 sessions. The control group consists from 11 teachers who were not enrolled in the proposed counselling program. The death anxiety and self-efficacy scales were used before and after implementing the program. They were used after 4 weeks since the date of finishing the implementation of the program. The researchers found that there are significant differences – at the significance level of (a ≤ 0.05) – between the control and experimental groups in terms of the death anxiety and self-efficacy levels for the favour of the experimental group. The researchers found that there is a need to use this program due to the impact of this program on the experimental group after 1 month since the date of finishing the implementation of the program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Death anxiety may reduce the interaction between nurses and patients, causing nurses to focus more on the physical care needs of patients and ignore their psychosocial and spiritual needs. This study was conducted to examine nurses' death anxiety and attitudes toward caring for dying patients. The data were collected using an information form, the Thorson-Powell Death Anxiety Scale (TPDAS), and the Frommelt Attitudes Toward the Care of the Dying Scale (FATCOD). The mean TPDAS and FATCOD scores were 46.71 (14.48) and 104.97 (13.55), respectively, and it was determined that they had moderate death anxiety and positive attitudes towards the care of dying patients. Those working in intensive care and internal medicine clinics had more positive attitudes toward caring for dying patients compared with those working in surgical clinics. Those who reported having a strong faith had lower death anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research analyzes the concept of death in the animation production of Coco by Lee Unkrich. According to Martin Heidegger's perspective of being, death and time, the characters of this work correspond to this viewpoint. The problem of the upcoming research is how to analyze the dimensions of the animated characters of Coco (Lee Unkrich, 2017) with Miguel as the center, according to Martin Heidegger's discussion and concepts about the types of death. The research questions are as follows. Which one of the types of death and fear of it in Heidegger's being and time is more consistent with the viewpoint of this animation towards death? What components does this animation add to the dimensions of Heidegger's death? What topics about death and what aspects of the characters do they reveal in this animation? To answer these questions in the research, relying on library sources and analytical-applied method, types of death, finding the present corresponding to them from Heidegger's point of view are studied and the selected characters of animation are analyzed in such a way that the form and content of types of death in Coco are conformity with Heidegger's opinions should be determined. The results of the study of Heidegger's types of physical death and existential death in Coco indicate that most of the characters entered the world of the dead due to physical death. The characters (Hector, Delacruz, and Imelda) entered the world of the dead mostly due to physical death (demise). In the world of the living, apart from Miguel who temporarily faces existential anxiety and existential death, we do not face deep existential death. Therefore, physical death is considered more in this animation. It seems that in the celebration of the dead, the Mexicans show that death should not be feared and the death of awareness is the recommended way. Not being afraid of physical death and welcoming it is a kind of conscious death, despite the fact that they know they are going to die, they do not sacrifice their lives for this event, but they hold a celebration of the dead every year so that no one has any fear of eternal forgetting and knows the value of time. Although Heidegger did not discuss the fate of Dasein in the world after death in existence and time, and only talked about the ways of living death in this world and the types of fear, but in this animation, by showing the world of the dead, its quality and ways to deal with deep physical death, by resorting to pictures and remembering it every year and by holding a celebration, depicts the world of the dead and the communication bridges of the living with them, as well as the ways to fight against the real death of humans. It also shows the dead living in the world of the dead after physical death. Finally, through some characters, it promises that one can live better with awareness of death and one can try ways to deal with the fear of death in special ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examined barriers to succession planning of family-owned businesses in Abia state. Specifically, the study determined barriers to succession planning related to: founder, family and employees of family-owned businesses. The paper adopted survey research design. A total of 345 family-owned businesses drawn from Ariaria international market and Umuahia ultra-modern market served as the population of the study. Data were collected using questionnaire. Data were analysed using frequency counts, percentages and weighted mean. Findings show that the founder’srelated barriers to succession planning ranged from fear of death (x̄= 3.5), and reluctance to let go of his leadership position (x̄= 3.7). Family-related barrier included the family’s unwillingness to relinquish their places in the business (x̄= 3.6); as well as, socio-cultural challenges within the environment the business is situated. The employees’ disinclination toward formalization of the business (x̄= 3.4) constituted employee-related barrier. The paper therefore recommended that owners of family businesses should bring in the successor into the family business as early as possible, and also make available to the would-be successor, vital information that has been used to manage the business right from beginning of the business up to the time of the entrepreneur’s exit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "Reconciling the Deprivation Account with the Final Badness of Death" from the Journal of Value Inquiry explores the philosophical question of whether death can be bad for those who die. The deprivation account posits that death can be bad because it deprives individuals of intrinsically good things they would have experienced. The authors argue that death can be bad for its own sake due to the deprivation of intrinsic goods, suggesting that death has extrinsic but final value. The article delves into the distinctions between intrinsic and extrinsic value, as well as final and instrumental value, to provide a nuanced understanding of the value of death. [Extracted from the article]

The article reveals one of the psychological mechanisms of anxiety formation in response to existential challenges of uncertainty. The purpose of the study is to describe the psychological content of anxiety during the pandemic. The research method was the author’s questionnaire aimed at studying anxiety experience peculiarities and ways of coping with it in adults in the situation of COVID-19 pandemic. To realize the goal, adults (n = 181) aged 18 to 74 years were asked to describe their thoughts about the pandemic that cause anxiety, negative and positive perceptions of themselves in the context of the pandemic, and ways of coping with anxiety. The study results showed that anxiety in the pandemic situation has universal existential underpinnings such as fear of death, loneliness, and restriction of freedom. Anxiety is formed around two main negative perceptions of the person about themselves: “I am anxious” and “I am bad and weak”, which reflects the experience of their own vulnerability, the main causes of which are the fear of death of loved ones and experience of their own incompetence in a situation of uncertainty. To reduce anxiety during the pandemic, adults use both universal methods (mainly self-regulation methods) and conditionally specific ones related to the source of anxiety and, consequently, negative self-image. The interrelation among self-image, anxiety and ways of coping with it shows the psychological help directions within the framework of both cognitive and existential-humanistic approaches.

Background and Objectives: Death is an unavoidable experience in any person’s life and affects not only the dying person but also their caregivers. The dying process has been displaced from homes to health care facilities in the majority of cases. Facing death and dying has become an everyday life of health care professionals (HCP), especially in palliative care (PC) settings. This study aimed to investigate the death attitudes among HCPs in Serbia. Materials and Methods: The Serbian version of the Death Attitude Profile-Revised (DAP-RSp) was used as a measurement instrument. Results: The average age of the 180 included participants was 42.2 ± 9.9 years; the majority were females (70.0%), with more than 10 years of working experience (73.0%), physicians (70.0%) and those working in a non-oncological (non-ONC) field (57.78%). The mean total score of DAP-RSp was 124.80 ± 22.44. The highest mean score was observed in the neutral acceptance dimension (NA) (5.82 ± 0.90) and lowest in the Escape acceptance (EA) (2.57 ± 1.21). Higher negative death attitudes were reported among nurses compared to physicians (p = 0.002). Statistically significant differences were observed in the fear of death (FD) and death avoidance (DA) domains, favoring PC specialists and oncologists (p = 0.004; p = 0.015). Physicians working in Oncology (ONC) showed lower FD values (p = 0.001) compared to non-ONC departments. Conclusions: Attitudes toward death among HCPs are of great importance for the well-being of both HCPs and patients. Negative attitudes can lead to deficient care. The fear of death is highly represented among Serbian HCPs working in non-ONC fields, including both nurses and physicians. This study emphasizes the need for further research to comprehensively explore and understand HCPs’ attitudes toward death. This research highlights the need for the development of an educational curriculum across all levels of medical education, aimed at overcoming the fear of death and enhancing coping strategies, which will improve the care for patients diagnosed with terminal illnesses.

This review paper aims to reveal the role of different types of religiosity based on research addressing religiosity in terms of in-group and out-group distinction within the scope of Terror Management Theory (TMT). Studies point out two important results of the phenomenon: the first is the fact that general religiosity focusing on only one aspect of religiosity (religious belongingness, afterlife belief, etc.) to measure religiosity increases worldview defense, supporting the hypothesis of mortality salience. The second is the fact that different religious orientations (intrinsic, fundamentalist, etc.) cause various reactions, depending on their unique characteristics when mortality is salient. In the current study, possible reasons for the differences between research findings are discussed. In order to clarify the roles that different types of religiosity play in terror management, a classification based on the strong-flexible and exclusive-inclusive poles of the “belief” and “belonging” dimensions suggested by Sarouglu has been proposed. It has been argued that religiosity types would function in terror management in different ways, depending on the classification in which they are placed. For example, when the religious worldview is threatened, the strong-exclusive pattern (e.g., religious fundamentalism) can lead to more negative reactions, while the strong-inclusive pattern (e.g., intrinsic religiosity) can be associated with positive processes in inter-group relationships. Future research on this classification and types of religiosity can provide unique contributions to developing TMT. On the other hand, knowing the roles of different forms of religiosity in managing existential concerns may be of therapeutic benefit in coping with death, bereavement, grief and related processes.

Psychedelic substances, which can occasion mystical experiences, are sometimes used for religious and spiritual reasons. Despite strong links between psychedelics and spirituality, no previous systematic review has investigated connections between psychedelics and indicators of long-term spiritual growth. Thus, 34 empirical studies were analyzed with 19,724 total participants from 32 independent samples. A variety of methodologies were used among the reviewed studies, and some studies included international samples. Results showed that psychedelics—especially classic psychedelics (e.g., psilocybin, LSD, and DMT)—have been studied more often in this context than other substances. Findings indicate that psychedelic use is linked with a variety of subjective indicators of spiritual growth, including stronger perceived connections with the divine, a greater sense of meaning, increased spiritual faith, increased engagement in religious and spiritual practices, an increase in feelings of unity and self-transcendence, positive changes in worldview, increased connectedness with others, and reduced fear of death. Many studies that reported on one of these indicators also reported on others, implying a co-occurrence of these facets during and after psychedelic experiences. Spiritual growth was often related to mystical experiences, with higher mystical experience ratings associating positively with perceived spiritual growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acknowledging the increasing worry over climate change and its psychological effects, the aim of this research is to clarify the dynamics between religiosity, climate anxiety and death anxiety, seeking to figure out the way religiosity mitigates the psychological effects of existential anxieties and climate related anxiety. Methods: Using Google Forms, a questionnaire was developed and disseminated through a variety of messaging platforms, such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger. Through a snowball sampling technique, 763 participants were recruited in this cross-sectional during September 2023. Results: The subsequent variables were adjusted in the moderation analysis: age, gender, and place of living. The results suggested that religiosity levels moderated the association between climate anxiety and death anxiety (Beta = 0.02, t = 1.97, p =.05, 95% CI 0.001, 0.035). At low, moderate, and high levels of religiosity, higher climate anxiety was significantly associated with more death anxiety. In addition, at low levels of climate anxiety, individuals with higher levels of religiosity (22.66) had more decreased levels of death anxiety compared to those with lower levels of religiosity (11.99). As climate anxiety levels increase, inverted patterns can be observed, with highly religious individuals showing higher levels of death anxiety than those with lower levels of religiosity. Overall, the relationship between climate anxiety and death anxiety was found to be weakest at low levels of religiosity and strongest at high levels of religiosity. Conclusion: Our findings suggest a possible beneficial effect of high religiosity at low levels of climate anxiety. This effect is reversed as climate anxiety starts to increase. Therefore, clinicians and policy-makers should bear in mind these complex interactions when designing strategies to mitigate mental health problems in the context of climate crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: A growing body of evidence has shown that attachment styles and death attitudes have a significant impact on empathy. This study aimed to explore the precise role of death attitudes in the relationship between attachment styles and empathy levels among trainee nurses. Methods: A total of 626 Chinese trainee nurses with different attachment types were enrolled, and their attachment styles, death attitudes, and empathy levels were assessed using the Revised Adult Attachment Scale, the Death Attitude Profile-Revised, and the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Healthy Professionals, and finally, data from 566 participants were included for statistical analysis. Results: We found that among trainee nurses with secure attachment type, fear of death, approach acceptance, escape acceptance, and neutral acceptance (-) mediated the relationships between attachment-related avoidance/anxiety and their overall empathy levels and all its dimensions; in the preoccupied type, only neutral acceptance (-) mediated the relationships between attachment-related avoidance and their overall empathy levels and compassionate care; and in the fearful type, only fear of death mediated the relationship between attachment- related avoidance and compassionate care. Furthermore, in the secure type, neutral acceptance attenuated the negative predictions of attachment-related avoidance on overall empathy level and perspective taking. Conclusion: Attitudes toward death played different mediating and moderating roles in the relationship between attachment styles and empathy among trainee nurses with different attachment types. In addition to acculturated empathy-specific training, targeted education related to death for trainee nurses with different attachment types is needed to prevent their compassion fatigue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study analyzed the effect of emergency nurses' psychological resilience on their thanatophobic behaviors. Methods: The research was conducted with 156 emergency nurses. In the data collection process, the Socio-Demographic Information Form, the Brief Resilience Scale, and the Thanatophobia Scale were used. Results: It was found that emergency nurses had medium-level psychological resilience and high-level thanatophobia. Besides, it was discerned that there was a moderate negative relationship between psychological resilience and thanatophobia (r:−.643, p : 0.000). Lastly, as per the simple linear regression analysis, it was identified that the predictor variable of psychological resilience accounted for 40.9% of the variance in the predicted variable of thanatophobia (R 2:.409, p : 0.000). Practice Implications: Emergency nurses, who are faced with many negative situations, need to have a high level of psychological resilience in order to get out of the mental state brought by negative conditions as soon as possible, and it is recommended to carry out applications to increase psychological resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study determined the relationship between death anxiety and COVID-19 related fear and anxiety in women with breast cancer. This is a descriptive correlation-seeking study. The research included 140 women with breast cancer who visit the day treatment unit of the oncology department of a state university hospital. Personal Information Form, Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS), and Death Anxiety Scale (DAS) were used to collect data. A significant difference was found between the DAS score and body mass index (p =.019) and between FCV-19S score and COVID-19 vaccination status (p =.007). As the fear of COVID-19 and coronavirus anxiety of women with breast cancer increase, death anxiety also increases. In conclusion, death anxiety should be taken into consideration for this patient group while maintaining the continuity of care for these patients now and in future pandemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of religious attitude on death anxiety among patients undergoing hemodialysis treatment. This cross-sectional study included 77 patients undergoing hemodialysis treatment. The religious attitude scale (RAS) and the death anxiety scale (DAS) were used to collect data. The results revealed a moderately strong negative relationship between the mean RAS total score and the mean DAS total score (r = − 0.350, p < 0.05). Additionally, religious attitude accounted for 12% of the variance in death anxiety (R2 = 0.12). Accordingly, the levels of religious attitude exhibited by patients may negatively affect their death anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: A sense of meaning in life (MIL) is thought to help protect people against experiencing explicit anxiety about death. However, the experience of meaning is complex and subjective and may relate to death anxiety in nuanced ways. We examine how self‐alienation—a feeling of not knowing/being disconnected from one's self—might moderate the relationship between MIL and death anxiety. Method: Across five studies, we tested the hypothesis that MIL would negatively predict death anxiety more strongly for people relatively low in self‐alienation. These studies were similar in design and included exploratory, confirmatory, and pre‐registered tests. Results: A meta‐regression across our five studies (N = 2001) provided clear evidence that MIL was most strongly associated with lower death anxiety at low self‐alienation. We also observed that MIL was positively associated with death anxiety at high self‐alienation. These effects were consistent in direction but inconsistent in strength. Conclusions: We interpreted these results as evidence that MIL is existentially protective when experienced in combination with a relatively strong, clear, and connected sense of self. In contrast, MIL may be existentially problematic when people feel relatively unaware and disconnected from themselves. These findings align with aspects of terror management theory and highlight the potentially complex ways that MIL might relate to death anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Health & Nursing Management / Sağlık ve Hemşirelik Yönetimi Dergisi is the property of Logos Medical Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Individuals diagnosed with chronic medical conditions and patients appointed to undergo surgery face various degrees of anxiety as a result of doubts related to the outcome of surgery, and the psycho-socioeconomic costs of the medical illness. This can affect the treatment process and even the outcome of patients with medical and surgical cases. Though different studies were conducted on anxiety and associated factors among medical and surgical patients in Ethiopia, the findings were found to be inconsistent and had a wide discrepancy. So, this systematic review and meta-analysis estimated the pooled effect size of anxiety among this population and guides to plan appropriate intervention at a national level. Methods: Studies conducted on anxiety and associated factors among medical and surgical patients in Ethiopia were included. Data was extracted using Microsoft Excel and analyzed using STATA version 11. The random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled effect size of anxiety and its determinants with 95% confidence intervals. Funnel plots and Egger's regression tests were employed to check publication bias. Sub-group and sensitivity analyses were also conducted. Results: The pooled prevalence of anxiety among medical and surgical patients in Ethiopia was found to be 48.82% with a 95% CI (42.66, 54.99). Being female[OR = 2.84(2.02, 4.01)], fear of death [OR = 2.93(1.57, 5.50)], and history of surgery[OR = 0.42(0.27, 0.065)], among surgical patients and being female[OR = 2.35(1.94, 2.850], having poor social support[OR = 2.22(1.62, 3.05)], perceived stigma[OR = 4.25(1.97, 9.18)] and family history of mental illness[OR = 1.86(1.21, 2.86)] among medical patients were significantly associated with anxiety in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Conclusion and recommendation: The pooled prevalence of anxiety among medical and surgical patients in Ethiopia was found to be high. Therefore, it would be good for professionals to screen patients for anxiety besides managing their medical or surgical cases to detect them early and address them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The coronavirus and its variants continue to threaten the physical and mental health of many individuals, particularly among older adults with COVID- 19. The current study aimed to investigate the mediating role of psychological well-being in explaining the effect of perceived social support on death anxiety among the elderly with COVID-19 experience in Tehran. Methods and Materials: This descriptive correlational study's population comprised all elderly men and women aged 65 to 75 years living at home in Tehran in 2022, who had experienced COVID-19 in the past six months. Among them, 400 individuals were purposively selected as the sample group and responded to the Death Anxiety Scale (Templer, 1970), the Perceived Social Support Scale (Zimet et al., 1988), and the Psychological Well-Being Scale (Ryff, 1989). For data analysis, the structural equation modeling method was used. The data obtained through confirmatory factor analysis and AMOS24 software showed that the research's structural model fits with the collected data. Findings: There was a positive and significant relationship between perceived social support and psychological well-being, a negative and significant relationship between perceived social support and death anxiety, and a negative and significant relationship between psychological well-being and death anxiety. Also, the indirect pathways between death anxiety and perceived social support, and death anxiety were proven (p = 0.001). Conclusion: Considering the results of the present study, it can be said that perceived social support influences death anxiety among the elderly with COVID- 19 experience through psychological well-being. The findings of the current study can be utilized by counselors, psychologists, and health specialists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The topic of death and the dying is a crucial aspect of patient care, especially for individuals with terminal illnesses. However, discussions about death and dying are often avoided during patient interactions. In this article, our aim is to explore the reasons behind our fear of death and dying and to assess the importance of addressing these issues in shaping and cultivating relationships with our patients and in our personal lives. We argue that being open to impermanence is a valuable tool in our work with patients and their families and should be integrated into conversations with them. Furthermore, discussions about death and dying should play a central role in medical and nursing education as well as professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing evidence suggests that psychedelic experiences, undergone in controlled conditions, can have various durable psychological benefits. One such benefit is reductions in fear of death, which have been attested in both psychiatric patients and healthy people. This paper addresses the question: how, exactly, do psychedelic experiences reduce fear of death? It argues, against some prominent proposals, that they do so mainly by promoting non-physicalist metaphysical beliefs. This conclusion has implications for two broader debates: one about the mechanisms of psychedelic therapy, and one about the potential non-medical uses of psychedelics for the alleviation of existential angst in psychiatrically healthy people. On the first count, the paper argues that the role of metaphysical belief change in fear of death supports the “Relaxed Beliefs Under Psychedelics” (REBUS) model of psychedelic therapy over alternative accounts. On the second count, the paper argues that the role of metaphysical belief change undermines the proposed use of psychedelics in the “neuroexistentialist” project of naturalizing spirituality. The best available evidence suggests that when psychedelic experiences reduce existential angst and restore a sense of meaning in life, they do so primarily by persuading people of the falsity of a broadly naturalistic worldview, and thus do not help reconcile people to the truth of such a worldview. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In his small work entitled De mortalitate, written in the form of a letter, St.Cyprian of Carthage includes a beautiful teaching on suffering, dying and death. The bishop comforts those who have been affected by the present plague and are facing their departure from this world. He teaches them to view death from the perspective of a believer and to see it as a positive, although painful, phenomenon. Since death must be experienced in an eschatological spirit, as an encounter with the Risen Christ and with all those who preceded us on the pilgrimage to immortality. According to the Bishop of Carthage, death teaches man right attitudes, such as patience, courage, and acceptance of the will of God. Moreover, Cyprian shows specific benefits that death brings to Christians. He calls it a journey to a better, eternal life. Thus those who relate their earthly lives to Christ should not fear death. The purpose of this study is therefore to study the statements of St. Cyprian contained in De mortalitate on the subject of death. It is not only about assessing it, but primarily about reading the practical instructions addressed to Christians on how they should behave in the face of this inevitable reality, especially during the current plague. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Doxa Comunicación is the property of Fundacion Universitaria San Pablo - CEU and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study investigated the association between multidimensional death anxiety and religiosity in multicultural Singapore by examining potential variations by age and gender. We also explored the possibility of a curvilinear effect, where highly religious or non-religious individuals report lower death anxiety than moderately religious people, forming an inverted U-curve pattern. Data were collected from 110 participants using questionnaires that assessed death anxiety and religiosity. Parametric and non-parametric tests were then conducted. The findings showed that women had significantly higher death anxiety and religiosity than men, and highly and moderately religious people had significantly higher death anxiety than non-religious people. People of all age groups had similar levels of death anxiety. These findings highlight the importance of developing targeted death anxiety interventions that integrate spiritual aspects in Singapore so that clinicians can provide culturally competent care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To examine the validity and reliability of the Thanatophobia Scale-Turkish Form among nurses. Design and methods: This methodological study included 154 nurses. Content and construct validity, item analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and internal consistency were used to evaluate the data. Findings: The content validity index of the scale was 0.91. Item-total score correlation values varied between 0.453 and 0.718. As a result of the confirmatory factor analyses, one factor was confirmed. Cronbach's alpha internal consistency coefficient was 0.854. Practice Implications: Thanatophobia Scale-Turkish Form is a valid and reliable tool used to evaluate the fear of death among nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to develop a model that specifies the predictive effects of factors on death anxiety among Chinese patients with cancer using structural equation modeling. Using convenience sampling, data were collected from 353 cancer patients. Self-administered questionnaires included Social Support Rating Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Connor Davidson Resilience Scale, Templer's Death Anxiety Scale, and socio-demographic factors. The results showed that social support, self-esteem, and resilience significantly impacted death anxiety. The final model fitted the data acceptably (χ2 = 37.319, df =31, p = 0.201). Social support mediated death anxiety through self-esteem and resilience. Resilience mediated the buffer effect of self-esteem on death anxiety as an intermediary factor. Findings suggest the need for further studies to explore effective interventions to provide social support and improve self-esteem and resilience among patients with cancer to alleviate death anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The disclosure decision-making model (DD-MM) explains an individual's decision-making process regarding whether they disclose personal health information to others and consists of three tenets (i.e., assessment of information, assessment of receiver, and disclosure efficacy). Whereas traditional DD-MM applications have focused on physiological disclosures (e.g., HIV diagnosis), this study investigates the non-visible, non-diagnosis context of disclosing desired death arrangement plans with others (i.e., how individuals wish their body to be memorialized following their death). Data from 467 individuals aged between 18 and 82 were collected through online surveys. Path analysis findings indicate that while perceptions of stigma, prognosis, and relevance to others (i.e., assessment of information) were significantly related to disclosure efficacy and anticipated response, only relevance to others was directly related to relational quality. Additionally, anticipated response and relational quality (i.e., assessment of receiver) as well as disclosure efficacy and anticipated response performed in accordance with the DD-MM. This study provides meaningful conclusions for agencies who aim to craft messages that will help resonate with, inform, and protect consumers from becoming susceptible to unethical practices in the death service industry. Limitations and future research avenues are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Death is an unavoidable experience in any person's life and affects not only the dying person but also their caregivers. The dying process has been displaced from homes to health care facilities in the majority of cases. Facing death and dying has become an everyday life of health care professionals (HCP), especially in palliative care (PC) settings. This study aimed to investigate the death attitudes among HCPs in Serbia. Materials and Methods: The Serbian version of the Death Attitude Profile-Revised (DAP-RSp) was used as a measurement instrument. Results: The average age of the 180 included participants was 42.2 ± 9.9 years; the majority were females (70.0%), with more than 10 years of working experience (73.0%), physicians (70.0%) and those working in a non-oncological (non-ONC) field (57.78%). The mean total score of DAP-RSp was 124.80 ± 22.44. The highest mean score was observed in the neutral acceptance dimension (NA) (5.82 ± 0.90) and lowest in the Escape acceptance (EA) (2.57 ± 1.21). Higher negative death attitudes were reported among nurses compared to physicians (p = 0.002). Statistically significant differences were observed in the fear of death (FD) and death avoidance (DA) domains, favoring PC specialists and oncologists (p = 0.004; p = 0.015). Physicians working in Oncology (ONC) showed lower FD values (p = 0.001) compared to non-ONC departments. Conclusions: Attitudes toward death among HCPs are of great importance for the well-being of both HCPs and patients. Negative attitudes can lead to deficient care. The fear of death is highly represented among Serbian HCPs working in non-ONC fields, including both nurses and physicians. This study emphasizes the need for further research to comprehensively explore and understand HCPs' attitudes toward death. This research highlights the need for the development of an educational curriculum across all levels of medical education, aimed at overcoming the fear of death and enhancing coping strategies, which will improve the care for patients diagnosed with terminal illnesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Death awareness can serve as an awakening experience and act as a powerful spark for significant life changes. The central question is, "How could death awareness and its creative examination transform our fear of death, open a path to liberation and self-empowerment, expand our consciousness, and lead us toward more meaningful, creative, and service-oriented lives?" The premise is that, instead of avoiding the reality of death, there is an opportunity to look into it and examine our fixed ideas and preconceptions about it—focusing on the person's fear of their death and not on their other fears related to the death and dying of significant others. Furthermore, the article examines death as a catalyst for significant life changes and fear of death, further exploring how death anxiety shows up in our lives, why reducing death denial is essential, how to honor death and all the lessons it teaches us, and how to transform our relationship with our mortality. It examines cross-cultural wisdom and alternative epistemologies that support the transformation of our death, such as spirituality, creativity, consciousness, transpersonal psychology, and Tibetan and Zen Buddhism. Future research would expand on the idea that the transformation of the relationship with death could foster personal growth and intensify connections to Earth and all living beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present review addresses the effectiveness of combat motivation and how it can bring positive change that helps the Military services to improve and be innovative in the current tough environment. It aimed to identify the factors that influence the soldiers to get immune from the perpetual fear of Death. A sample of 415 soldiers has been conducted with the help of a self-structured interview. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) highlights duty, honor, and country; the military slogan and war cry; leadership& training; Regiment pride or community Pride;The desire to win war and go home; Avenging The Matrydom & Atitude Towards Enemy; Personal Gratification and commitment to Brothers in ARMS & Commitment towards nation are the major Combat Motivational factors in the Indian army. Combat Motivation is confirmed as an eighth factor model in the army by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The study suggests using commitment-based leadership strategies and tactics in the army that increase the motivation to get immune from the perpetual fear of Death of soldiers from the selected sample. The information obtained from this study can provide a framework to assist Army leaders, Commanders, and training and development for future soldiers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The concealment of suicidal ideation (SI) constitutes a significant barrier to reducing veteran deaths by suicide and is associated with fear of negative consequences (e.g., involuntary hospitalization). This study examined whether augmenting informed consent with psychoeducation aimed to help patients achieve a more realistic risk appraisal of consequences associated with disclosure of SI, decreased hesitancy to disclose SI, and related risk behaviors among U.S. veterans. Method: Participants (N = 133) were recruited from combat veteran social media groups and were randomly assigned to a video simulated treatment‐as‐usual informed consent (control) or to one of two psychoeducation‐enhanced informed consent conditions (psychoed, psychoed + trust). Results: Compared with the control group, participants in both psychoeducation and enhanced informed consent conditions reported lower hesitancy to disclose SI, firearm access, and problems with drugs/thoughts of harming others, as well as greater trust and respect for the simulated clinician. Conclusions: These findings suggest that brief psychoeducation regarding common factors that affect hesitancy to disclose SI may be beneficial for increasing trust in providers during the informed consent process and decreasing concealment of SI and firearm access among veterans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Ilahiyat Researches / Ilahiyat Tetkikleri Dergisi is the property of Ataturk University Coordinatorship of Scientific Journals and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The present study examines the role of death anxiety as an important mechanism underlying the relationship between fear of Covid-19 and hotel frontline employees' (FLEs) sense of work alienation. Importantly, the study proposes FLEs' intrinsic spirituality as being a relevant boundary condition. Results, based on time-lagged survey data (three rounds, 2 weeks apart) from 203 FLEs in 91 hotels and analyzed using structural equation modeling, reveal that death anxiety mediates the association between fear of Covid-19 and work alienation. In addition, FLEs' intrinsic spirituality moderates the direct relationship between fear of Covid-19 and death anxiety and the indirect relationship between fear of Covid-19 and work alienation, such that the relationships are weak when intrinsic spirituality is high (vs. low). The study offers several important suggestions that can help hospitality managers address FLEs' sense of work alienation during traumatic conditions. Highlights: Death anxiety mediates the relationship between fear of Covid-19 and work alienation. Intrinsic spirituality moderates the link between fear of Covid-19 and death anxiety. Intrinsic spirituality moderates the indirect fear of Covid-19-work alienation link. The findings can help hotel managers address FLEs' sense of work alienation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]