Gender difference about death anxiety among older adults: Structural Equation Model

Abstract

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.

Motivational Climate Effect on the Development of Anxiety and Body Image in Education Students: A Structural Equation Model

“…Continuing with the symptomatology derived from anxiety, it is observed that females show higher scores for each of the symptoms. Tese results may be due to neuroendocrine responses to a traumatic or stressful situation [36]. Also, in recent years it has been found that the amygdala and the hippocampus are highly involved in emotional control in the face of a stressful response [37,38], concluding that the amygdala is greater in men and the hippocampus greater in women.…”

“…Based on these results, it is established that women abandon physical sports practice early, which has a negative impact on their body image [34,35]. Likewise, young adolescents who have practised sports at an early age develop a more favourable physical capacity and feelings about their own body image [36].…”

Measurement invariance and country difference in death anxiety: evidence from portuguese and arab samples

“…Other studies have also shown differences according to gender and or age (e.g. Adelirad et al, 2021;Ansari & Lankarani, 2016;Dadfar et al, 2021;Pierce et al, 2007;Saeed & Bokharey, 2016). Abdel-Khalek (2003), for example, noted significant differences between countries and between genders, attributing their cause to the cultural issues of individualism vs. collectivism (Hofstede, 1980;Triandis 1995) or to socially established differences in contrasting groups of countries.…”

Anxiety and Depressive Symptomatology among Iranian Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19 in January 2020

“…It is viewed as a predictor for both the existence and severity of mental diseases [22]. Couple of studies have been launched to examine the association between death anxiety and well being of the aged [23], cancer patients [24], multiple sclerosis [25] and the victims of COVID-19 [26,27]. Death anxiety during the pandemic is reported high and associated with the death of a family member from COVID- Conclusively, previous studies assessed the overall impact of the pandemics on mental health, proposing a general outlook towards psychological impact of COVID-19.…”