Testing the Longitudinal Mediation of Death Distress in the Relationship Between Mindfulness and Subjective Vitality During Emerging Adulthood Using a Two‐Wave Longitudinal Model

Background The universal nature of death distress and its potential impact on mental health make it worth investigating. Considering the importance of examining the variables that influence death distress and are affected by death distress, this study investigated the longitudinal relationships between mindfulness, death distress and subjective vitality. Method This research, conducted with Turkish participants ( N = 201), included predominantly female participants ( n = 162, 80.6%). The participants ranged in age from 18 to 26 years ( M age = 23.249, SD = 4.950), and most identified themselves as having a middle socio‐economic status ( n = 139, 69.2%). This research was conducted using a two‐wave longitudinal design. The aim of the study was to investigate the longitudinal mediation of death distress in the relationship between mindfulness and subjective vitality. Results The results provided preliminary evidence for the longitudinal mediating role of death distress in the relationship between mindfulness and subjective vitality. Conclusion These longitudinal study findings expanded our understanding of the cause‐and‐effect relationship between variables.