Background Older adults may be more prone to death anxiety than their younger counterparts. This study explores factors affecting death anxiety based on gender differences. Methods In this correlational study, 450 older adults referred to the health centres in the city of Bukan, Iran were recruited by using a randomised sampling method. Next, data were collected about the demographic questionnaire, anxiety about ageing, death anxiety, mental well‐being, perceived social support, and quality of life questionnaire. The Spearman correlation coefficient was used to determine the correlation between variables, and the predictors of death anxiety were evaluated using quintile regression. Relationship between death anxiety and other variables was evaluated by the Structural Equation Model (SEM). The study was approved by the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Ethics Committee (Ethics Code: IR.TBZMED.REC.1397.304). Results The results showed that death anxiety in men had a significant relationship with the level of literacy (P = 0.047), body self‐imaging (P = 0.031), and perceived social activity (P = 0.033). Among women, death anxiety had a significant relationship with physical activity (P = 0.007) and perceived social activity (P = 0.002). Additionally, quintile regression analysis was calculated: among men, anxiety about ageing was related to death anxiety (β = 0.182, P = 0.05), while in women, only perceived social support was associated to death anxiety (β = −0.376, P = 0.05). Finally, according to SEM, a significantly different level of predictability of mental well‐being was found for death anxiety among older men and women. Conclusion Understanding the gender differences about death anxiety by the healthcare system might be useful in controlling and reducing a variety of concerns among elders who experience high levels of anxiety of death.

(1) Background: The older adult population of society is exposed to multiple stressors daily, such as the loss of loved ones, dysfunctional mobility, financial dependence, and suffering from numerous chronic illnesses. The present study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Anxiety about Aging Scale among older adults in Iran. (2) Methods: A sample of 703 community-dwelling older adults was recruited and screened using a standardized tool. The mean age of participants was 69.4 ± 8.1 years. The majority of participants were male (59.2%), married (66.6%), and illiterate (79.7%). A ‘forward-backward’ translation method was used in developing the Iranian version of the AAS for assessing the psychometric properties among older adults. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the Rasch model were used for construct validity. (3) Results: Applying CFA indicated that the model’s four original factors are the best solution, representing 55% of the total variance. The result of the CFA showed that this four-factor model had a good fit for the data. The findings were also confirmed by Rasch analysis. (4) Conclusions: The Persian version of the AAS is valid and reliable for measuring aging anxiety among Iranian older adults.

BackgroundAssessing anxiety in the elderly and the factors affecting this phenomenon will help the health care providers to provide appropriate and effective support and health care services for older adults. The aim of the present study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Aging Scale (AAS) among Persian speaking older adults.Method:A sample of 703 community-dwelling older adults was recruited for the study. A 'forward-backward' translation procedure was conducted to develop the Iranian version of the AAS. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Rasch model were then used for construct validity, and GHQ-12 and MSPSS were utilized for assessing concurrent validity of the AAS.ResultThe study participants included 416 (59.2%) men and 287 (40.8%) women with an average age of 69.4 years (SD D 8.11). Cronbach’s alpha for Fear of Old People, Psychological Concerns, Physical Appearance, Fear of Losses and the overall score was 0.881, 0.705, 0.748, 0.768 and 0.77, respectively. Applying CFA, it was found that the four original factors model was the best solution with 0.55 of the total variance. The result of the CFA indicated that this four-factor model had a good fit to the data. The results were then confirmed by Rasch analysis. Moreover, the AAS was significantly correlated with MSPSS (r=-0.395, p < 0.001) and GHQ_12 (r = 0.238, p < 0.001).ConclusionThe Persian version of the AAS was found to be valid and reliable for measuring anxiety of ageing among Persian speaking elderly populations.