The effects of psychosocial interventions on death anxiety: A meta-analysis and systematic review of randomised controlled trials

Menzies, Rachel E.; Zuccala, Matteo; Sharpe, Louise; Dar‐Nimrod, Ilan

doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2018.09.004

Cited by 81 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Given this, current standard treatments for mental health conditions may benefit from addressing death anxiety directly, in order to prevent the 'revolving door' often seen in mental health services (Iverach et al, 2014, p. 590). Fortunately, CBT has been demonstrated to produce significant reductions in death anxiety, with exposure appearing to be particularly effective (Menzies et al, 2018). Complementing current treatments with specific CBT techniques addressing fears of death may help to ensure the best long-term outcomes for clients, and protect the individual from future disorders.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In particular, CBT treatments centring on graded exposure therapy were found to be most effective. In fact, alternative treatment options examined by the meta-analysis failed to produce any significant change in death anxiety scores (Menzies et al, 2018). Given these meta-analytic findings, CBT appears to be the most appropriate treatment for addressing death anxiety, and various techniques for doing so have been proposed (see further, Menzies, 2018a; Menzies and Veale, 2020).…”

Section: Treatment Approachesmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Despite being understood to be an 'existential given' (Yalom, 1980), empirical findings fortunately indicate that death anxiety can indeed be ameliorated. One recent meta-analysis examined the effects of randomised controlled trials on death anxiety (Menzies et al, 2018). This revealed that psychosocial interventions produced significant reductions in death anxiety relative to control conditions.…”

Section: Treatment Approachesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Death anxiety in the time of COVID-19: theoretical explanations and clinical implications

Menzies

2020

tCBT

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The recent COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a surge in anxiety across the globe. Much of the public’s behavioural and emotional response to the virus can be understood through the framework of terror management theory, which proposes that fear of death drives much of human behaviour. In the context of the current pandemic, death anxiety, a recently proposed transdiagnostic construct, appears especially relevant. Fear of death has recently been shown to predict not only anxiety related to COVID-19, but also to play a causal role in various mental health conditions. Given this, it is argued that treatment programmes in mental health may need to broaden their focus to directly target the dread of death. Notably, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has been shown to produce significant reductions in death anxiety. As such, it is possible that complementing current treatments with specific CBT techniques addressing fears of death may ensure enhanced long-term symptom reduction. Further research is essential in order to examine whether treating death anxiety will indeed improve long-term outcomes, and prevent the emergence of future disorders in vulnerable populations. Key learning aims (1) To understand terror management theory and its theoretical explanation of death anxiety in the context of COVID-19. (2) To understand the transdiagnostic role of death anxiety in mental health disorders. (3) To understand current treatment approaches for directly targeting death anxiety, and the importance of doing so to improve long-term treatment outcomes.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Treatment Approachesmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Treatment Approachesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Death anxiety in the time of COVID-19: theoretical explanations and clinical implications

Menzies

2020

tCBT

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236

211

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“…Although few intervention studies have specifically addressed death anxiety in the context of mental health problems, death fears have been treated in other contexts. One recent meta‐analysis (Menzies, Zuccala, Sharpe, & Dar‐Nimrod, ) explored the effects of psychosocial interventions on death anxiety across 15 randomized controlled trials. The findings revealed that cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) was particularly effective, producing significant reductions in death anxiety relative to control conditions and other therapies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relationship between death anxiety and severity of mental illnesses

Menzies

Sharpe

Dar‐Nimrod

2019

British J Clinic Psychol

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134

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Objectives. Death anxiety has been implicated theoretically and empirically in mental health and has been proposed to be a transdiagnostic construct. However, it has largely been investigated in relation to specific disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder. Few studies have assessed the relationship between death anxiety and psychopathology using heterogeneous treatment-seeking clinical samples.Methods. In the present study, the relationships between death anxiety and broad markers of psychopathology were explored in 200 treatment-seeking participants with various diagnosed mental disorders.Results. Across the sample, death anxiety was a strong predictor of psychopathology, including the number of lifetime diagnoses, medications, hospitalizations, distress/ impairment, depression, anxiety, and stress. This relationship was not accounted for by neuroticism. Large to very large correlations were also consistently found between a measure of death anxiety and the symptom severity of 12 disorders. Neither meaning in life nor attachment style moderated the associations between death fears and psychopathology.Conclusions. The findings reveal a strong relationship between death anxiety and psychopathology across numerous disorders, further supporting the transdiagnostic role of fears of death. As such, clinical implications revolve around the potential need for innovative treatments which address death fears directly, in order to produce long-term improvements in mental health. However, experimental research is needed to ascertain causal relationships. Practitioner pointsAcross a large treatment-seeking sample, death anxiety was a significant predictor of broad psychopathology, including distress and number of lifetime diagnoses. Across 12 different disorders, death anxiety significantly predicted symptom severity. Results may suggest the need for novel treatments which specifically target fears of death. Due to the correlational design, future experimental research is needed to establish causal relationships with increased confidence.

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“…Menzies, Zuccala, Sharpe, and Dar‐Nimrod () conducted a meta‐analysis of 15 studies on reducing death anxiety. Some involved education (including lectures, readings and discussion), while others were more psychotherapeutically based (using, e.g., cognitive behavioural therapy), but none of the studies reviewed in this meta‐analysis compared different models.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effectiveness of 8A model death education on the reduction of death depression: A preliminary study

Dadfar

Lester

2019

Nursing Open

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Aim Death education using the 8A model can reduce death distress and promote mental health. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of the 8A model death education programme for reducing death depression among nurses. The hypothesis was that participating in the 8A model death education programme would reduce death depression. Design A pre‐test–post‐test intervention. Methods Ten nurses were selected randomly from the intensive care units and critical care units wards of the Khatom‐Al‐Anbia General Hospital in Tehran, Iran. They completed the Death Depression Scale before and after intervention. The 8A model was conducted in six workshops weekly, each of 6 hr, for a total of 36 hr. Results There was a significant difference between pre‐test and post‐test on the Death Depression Scale scores. Discussion The 8A model appears to be useful for the reduction of death depression and the promotion of mental health in the sample. However, the model should be tested on larger samples and with a control group before concluding that the model is effective in reducing death distress.

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The effects of psychosocial interventions on death anxiety: A meta-analysis and systematic review of randomised controlled trials

Cited by 81 publications

References 46 publications

Death anxiety in the time of COVID-19: theoretical explanations and clinical implications

Death anxiety in the time of COVID-19: theoretical explanations and clinical implications

The relationship between death anxiety and severity of mental illnesses

The effectiveness of 8A model death education on the reduction of death depression: A preliminary study

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