Exploring the Interplay of Age and Gender in Death Anxiety

Abstract

This empirical study investigates the effect of age and gender on death anxiety. Death anxiety, defined as the fear or discomfort associated with the thought of one’s mortality, has been widelystudied in psychology, but the impact of demographic factors such as age and gender on deathanxiety remains inconclusive. The current research aims to fill this gap by examining how thesefactors influence individuals' levels of death anxiety. A sample of 200 participants (100 men and100 women) was selected, with ages ranging from 31to 65+ years. Participants completed theDeath Anxiety Scale (DAS), which measures cognitive, emotional, and behavioral aspects ofdeath-related concerns. Statistical analyses, Two way ANOVA were performed to assess theeffects of age and gender on death anxiety. Results indicate that death anxiety decreases with age, with adult participants (31-50 years) reporting significantly higher levels of anxiety compared toolder participants (51-65+ years). This finding suggests that individuals become less fearful ofdeath as they age, possibly due to increased acceptance of mortality or greater life experience. Additionally, gender differences were observed, with women reporting higher levels of deathanxiety than men. This may be attributed to social, cultural, and psychological factors that influence women’s existential concerns more acutely than men’s. The study also found that theinteraction between age and gender did not significantly alter the effects of these individual factors, suggesting that age and gender independently influence death anxiety levels.