Death Anxiety as a Function of Aging Anxiety

Abstract

To assess how different facets of aging anxiety contributed to the prediction of tangible and existential death anxiety, 167 Americans of various Christian denominations completed a battery of questionnaires. Multiple regression analyses, controlling for demographic variables and previously demonstrated predictors of death anxiety, revealed that the aging anxiety dimensions of physical appearance concern and fear of losses each positively predicted tangible death anxiety. In addition, the aging anxiety dimension of fear of losses predicted existential death anxiety. Results are discussed with respect to the multifaceted nature of death anxiety and how different forms of aging anxiety contribute to anxieties about death.

This research was conducted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for an undergraduate Senior Departmental Thesis at Albion College by Jeremy P. Benton. This research was supported by a grant from the Albion College Foundation for Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity awarded to Jeremy P. Benton. We are grateful to Tammy Jechura, Ronney Mourad, Daniel McQuown, and Stephen Fritz for their assistance with this research. Portions of this research were presented at the 2005 Annual Convention of the American Psychological Society, Los Angeles, CA.

Notes

^a Higher scores indicate a more external locus of control.

^b 0 = women; 1 = men.

∗∗p < 0.01. ∗p < .05.

^a 0 = women; 1 = men; ^b Higher scores indicate a more external locus of control.

∗∗p < 0.01; ∗p < .05; ^† p < .10.