Mediating Role of Attachment to God in the Relationship between Religious Coping Strategies and Death Anxiety in Older Adults

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Social Sciences, Roudehen Branch, Islamic Azad University, Roudehen, Iran

2 Department of Psychology, Sari Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mazandaran, Iran

3 Department of psychology, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran

4 Department of Psychology, Arak Branch, Islamic Azad University, Arak, Iran

5 Department of Psychology, Faculty of humanity, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Background: Aging is a biological phenomenon and one of the critical stages of life. In this regard, one of the indisputable facts of aging is approaching death.
 
Objectives: The present study aimed to assess the mediating role of attachment to God in the relationship between religious coping strategies and death anxiety in older adults.
 
Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional correlational research was conducted based on structural equation modeling. The statistical population of this research included all older adults residing in Tehran from May to July 2023. A total of 298 cases were selected via the multistage cluster method. The research instruments included Pargament's Religious Coping Styles Questionnaire, Templar's Attachment to God Inventory, and Templer's Death Anxiety Survey. Descriptive statistics were analyzed using SPSS software (version 27), while SmartPLS software (version 4) was utilized to analyze data trends and standard coefficients.
 
Results: Based on the obtained results, the effect of positive religious coping strategies on death anxiety was not significant (β=-0.032; P=0.212). Positive religious coping strategies demonstrated a direct significant effect on attachment to God (β=0.728; P<0.001). Moreover, negative religious coping strategies had a positive and significant impact on death anxiety (β=0.131; P=0.036).
 
Conclusion: The results of this study suggested examining the mediating role of attachment to God in the relationship between religious coping strategies and death anxiety in older adults. In brief, spiritual and psychological factors, including attachment to God and religious coping strategies, play a critical role in death anxiety among elderly persons.
 

Keywords

Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Razavi International Journal of Medicine
Volume 12, Issue 1
March 2024
Pages 33-40

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