The Relationships of Death Anxiety and Death Depression to Religion and Civilian War-Related Experiences in Iranians

Abstract

Of eleven hundred seventy-six Iranian college students, those who were more exposed to war-related traumatic events and those who were less religious had higher death anxiety and death depression. The specific variables that contributed the most variance to both death anxiety and death depression were weaker religious belief, female gender, injury to friends or relatives, death of friends or relatives, not believing in life after death, and maintaining that the most important aspect of religion is life after death. Theoretical and clinical implications were discussed. The greater death anxiety of female Iranians adds to the inference that death anxiety is greater in females, which seems to be a worldwide phenomena.