Interventions for Death Anxiety

Although data on treatment of death anxiety are very limited, interventions using cognitive-behavioral techniques might hold promise.

Fear of death (death anxiety) is a transdiagnostic construct that might contribute to a number of mood and anxiety disorders. In a meta-analysis of 15 randomized, controlled studies, researchers examined the efficacy of psychosocial interventions (9 therapeutically oriented, 5 educationally oriented, 1 unclassified) for death anxiety; study populations were clinical in 5 articles and nonclinical in 10 articles.

Studies varied greatly in sample size, sample composition (students, nurses, and cancer and HIV patients), type of control (waitlist, delayed treatment, usual care, attention placebo, no treatment), and risk for bias. All interventions resulted in a small-to-medium effect on death anxiety. Five studies using cognitive-behavioral thera…

Reviewing Author

Peter Roy-Byrne, MD

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Peter Roy-Byrne, MD

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Interventions for Death Anxiety

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Reviewing Author