Objectives The prevalence of death anxiety in older adults is high. Thus, the aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between coping strategies and locus of control with death anxiety in older adults.
Methods & Materials In this descriptive and cross-sectional study, 113 elderly adults older than 60 years were recruited from the city of Tehran via available sampling method. For data collection, the Coping Strategies Inventory, Locus of Control Inventory and Death Anxiety Scale were employed. Then, the data were analyzed using SPSS.v21 software and statistical tests such as Pearson correlation coefficient and Stepwise regression.
Results The mean (SD) age of the participants was 65.19 (3.93) years. The mean scores of problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping, avoidance-focused coping, internal locus of control, external locus of control, and death anxiety were 48.20±7.45, 50.93±6.92, 50.39±8.67, 17.85±5.70, 61.51±6.08 and 8.67±2.31, respectively. Based on study findings, there was a statistically significant relationship between coping strategies (P < 0.05) and locus of control (P < 0.05) with death anxiety among older adults. The results of stepwise regression analysis indicated that avoidance and emotion oriented coping and external locus of control significantly predict death anxiety (P < 0.01).
Conclusion Death anxiety is one of the key factors in the mental health of older adults. With regards to our findings, coping strategies and locus of control have an important role in death anxiety in older adults. Therefore, by designing psychological interventions based on coping strategies and changing locus of control from external to internal, death anxiety among the older adults can be improved.