Death Anxiety in the Elderly: The Role of Psychological Hardiness and Practical Commitment to Prayer

Aging is a biological process that all living beings, including humans, experience it. Therefore, it is crucial to notice and prevent some disorders such as anxiety in the field of aging. One of the undeniable facts about aging is recognizing the reality of death and anxiety that weakens compatibility in elderly. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between psychological hardiness and practical commitment to prayer with death anxiety in the elderly. It was a descriptive-correlation survey. The statistical population included all the elderly man over 60, living in the 1th district of Tehran. 250 elderly men over 60 were selected using convenience sampling in local parks of the 1th district of Tehran. Psychological hardiness questionnaire by Kiamarsi et al., Templer Death Anxiety Scale and scale of attitude and practical commitment to prayer Enisi et al. were completed. Data were analyzed in SPSS-22 using Pearson's correlation coefficients and multiple linear regression with Enter Method. The results suggested a negative and significant correlation between psychological hardiness and practical commitment of Prayer in the Elderly (P<0.01). Also, Death Anxiety Regression Model showed that psychological hardiness (P<0.05), practical commitment to prayer (P<0.01), the effectiveness of prayer in individual and social life (P<0.01), attentions and acts of precepts (P<0.01), serious commitment to prayer (P<0.01) and care and presence of the heart in prayers (P<0.01) could negatively predict death anxiety. According to the result, it was suggested that counselors and psychologists working with elderly may reduce the anxiety of death among them through raising awareness and applying measures to increase hardiness and practice religious beliefs.