Death Anxiety and Related Factors Among Older Adults in Iran: Findings From a National Study

Abstract

Objectives Aging is one of the most critical stages in human life. Today, older adults make up one of the largest social groups in the world. Death anxiety is one of the most common mental disorders in old age, whose prevalence varies due to individual differences, social/environmental factors, and views on death. This national study aims to investigate death anxiety and related factors in Iranian older adults. Methods & Materials This is a descriptive-analytical study with a cross-sectional design. The study population in this study is all people aged ≥60 years in Iran. Online sampling was done through social networks using a convenience method for 51 days from June 22 to July 11, 2021. The data collected tool was a questionnaire. The first part was a demographic form surveying age, marital status, housing conditions, household living arrangements, province of residence, place of residence (urban or rural), level of education, ethnicity, religion, and insurance coverage. The second part was the Templer death anxiety scale. The data was analyzed using t-test, ANOVA and regression analysis in SPSS software, version 22. Results Participants were 1271 women and 1858 men aged 60-80 years. The mean score of death anxiety was 8.5±3.44, 42.5% had severe death anxiety, 40.7% had moderate anxiety, and 16.9% had mild anxiety. A significant difference was observed in death anxiety in terms of age, gender, marital status, household living arrangements, occupation, religion, insurance coverage (P0.05). Conclusion Death anxiety is a common phenomenon among Iranian older adults. There is a need to develop online programs to reduce this problem.

Keywords

• death anxiety
• mental health
• older adults
• iran