Evaluation of death anxiety and effecting factors in a Turkish sample

Authors

  • Zümrüt Gedik
  • Güler Bahadır İstanbul University

Keywords:

Death anxiety, Self-actualization, Trait anxiety, Existentialism

Abstract

Previous research indicates that people with higher levels of self-actualization have lower death anxiety and that negative emotional states are related to death anxiety. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between death anxiety and self-actualization, depression, and trait anxiety. A Turkish sample of 116 undergraduates and adults completed Templer’s Death Anxiety Scale, Personal Orientation Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory’s Trait Anxiety Form. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that the only significant predictors of death anxiety were trait anxiety and gender. The correlation between death anxiety and self - actualization was found to be negative and statistically significant (p < .001). Women had significantly higher death anxiety compared to men; whereas death anxiety mean scores did not show significant differences by age group and the belief in afterlife. In conclusion, this study supports the assumptions of the existential school regarding the association between death anxiety and self-actualization.

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Author Biographies

Zümrüt Gedik

Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Ege University

Güler Bahadır, İstanbul University

Professor Dr., Istanbul University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry

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Published

2014-07-25

How to Cite

Gedik, Z., & Bahadır, G. (2014). Evaluation of death anxiety and effecting factors in a Turkish sample. Journal of Human Sciences, 11(2), 388–400. Retrieved from https://j-humansciences.com/ojs/index.php/IJHS/article/view/3004

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Section

Psychology