Randomized trial shows no significant reduction in death anxiety in young adults, suggesting the need for varied strategies.
= 201) death anxiety. Participants completed baseline measures of death anxiety, meaning in life, and self-esteem. One week later, they were randomly assigned to complete either a work-related strengths reflection exercise or a neutral writing task. We assessed outcomes immediately post-intervention and two weeks later. The intervention did not significantly reduce death anxiety in the full sample. Exploratory analyses showed small, immediate reductions among participants with elevated baseline death anxiety, but these effects did not persist at follow-up. Meaning in life and self-esteem did not mediate outcomes. The findings suggest that meaning-based interventions may operate conditionally rather than universally, and other intervention strategies are likely needed to produce reductions in death anxiety preventatively in young adults.
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Orhan et al. (2026) studied this question.
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