Effects of death anxiety on perceived stress in individuals with multiple sclerosis and the role of self-transcendence

Abbas Abdollahi, Hannaneh Panahipour, Kelly A. Allen, Simin Hosseinian

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

    17 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Stress is a commonly reported concern of individuals with chronical diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). This study sought to investigate the relationships between self-transcendence, death anxiety, and perceived stress among individuals with MS from Iran. A second aim of the study was to assess the buffering effect of self-transcendence in the relationship between death anxiety and perceived stress. Two hundred and fifteen participants with MS from four hospitals completed measures assessing self-transcendence, death anxiety, and perceived stress. Using structural equation modeling, death anxiety was found to be positively related to perceived stress. In addition, there was a negative relationship between self-transcendence and perceived stress. Results of the study suggest that self-transcendence is a buffer in the link between death anxiety and perceived stress for individuals with MS. The findings demonstrate the importance of self-transcendence in decreasing the effects of death anxiety on perceived stress and have clinical implications for health professionals.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)91-102
    Number of pages12
    JournalOMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying
    Volume84
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2021

    Keywords

    • death anxiety
    • perceived stress
    • self-transcendence
    • individuals with multiple sclerosis

    Cite this