Death Anxiety and Its Relationship with Social Support and Adherence to Religion in the Elderly

Objectives Aging is a biological process, experienced by all living things, including humans. The most important factor in this period is the death anxiety. This study aimed to determine death anxiety and its relationship with social support and adherence to religion in unmarried and married men and women.
Methods & Materials In this study, causal-comparative and correlation methods were used. The study was conducted on 376 people; 190 men and 186 women (married and unmarried). The participants were selected from high school graduates from districts 2, 3, 5, 6, and 22. They were 60 and 75 years, and selected by using convenience sampling. Death anxiety scales 27-item form, 19-item form for social support questionnaire and 26-item form for religious attitudes were used to measure study variables. Data were analyzed by 1-way ANOVA and the Pearson tests using the SPSS 21.
Results The results of correlation analysis indicated significant and direct relationship between social support and the fear of dying (P Conclusion Increased social interaction, adherence to religion and marriage can decrease death anxiety and improve the mental health of the elderly, especially elderly women.