Facing death on duty: A latent profile analysis of nurses’ death anxiety

Nurses are routinely exposed to critically and terminally ill patients, resulting in frequent encounters with death. Despite this, few studies have examined the distribution of death anxiety within the nursing workforce. This study aims to assess and validate levels of death anxiety among Indian nurses. A cross-sectional study was conducted on nurses employed in public and private hospitals, with a final sample size of 1360 participants. Measures included death anxiety, mental health indicators, and socio-demographic characteristics. Latent profile analysis of death anxiety and mental health scores revealed five distinct profiles: subdued mortality preoccupation, death serenity, existential disquiet, high mortality preoccupation, and balanced resilience. These profiles showed that nurses of older age, with greater professional experience, and those employed in private hospitals exhibited lower levels of death anxiety. The findings emphasize the need for institutional policies and training programs to strengthen resilience and promote mental health of nurses.