THE THEORETICAL, CLINICAL, AND METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF DEATH ANXIETY: A NARRATIVE REVIEW

Abstract

Objective. The present paper aims to offer an overview of the concept of anxiety in the death research literature by considering the concept’s theoretical, clinical and methodological perspectives, an overview that is susceptible to open a new path for the exploratory research in this area of high scientific interest. Materials and methods. The Google Scholar search engine was used to access the to-be-reviewed research articles. After a first selection, the relevant articles’ reference lists were analysed for a second selection phase. The inclusion criteria were linked to the three to-be-described perspectives – studies describing the theoretical, clinical, and methodological aspects of death anxiety. Those studies that did not focus on these topics were excluded. Discussions. Two complementary theories were chosen for the theoretical perspective, because these offered comprehensive explanations for the concept of death anxiety. The clinical perspective described the psychological domains affected by death anxiety – the cognitive, emotional, and behavioural domains, as well as the associated psychosomatic symptoms. The methodological perspective presented the psychometric advantages and disadvantages of 13 of the existing scales measuring death anxiety and/or similar constructs, that are considered to be used the most in this area of research. Conclusions. Despite the researchers’ increased interest for the investigation of death anxiety, the existing studies and instruments require an adaptation to the recent societal changes. Terror Management Theory and Existential Psychology offer complementary and comprehensive perspectives in order to ensure a better understanding of both the concept and the directions that future scientific efforts can approach. Since death anxiety has negative effects on all psychological domains, and it causes significant psychosomatic symptoms with a strong impact on people’s quality of life, updating the research literature with new studies is necessary.

Keywords

• anxiety
• death
• theory
• clinical meaning
• instruments