Death Anxiety and Death Depression among Elderly

Abstract

Background: Death is the only certainty of the life. Elderly people have a significant death anxiety and
death depression which causes negative effect on their health and creates low self esteem, lack of purpose in
life, negativity and poor mental well being.
Aim: Present study aimed to assess the death anxiety and death depression among elderly and their
relationship with socio-demographic variable.
Method: Descriptive, cross-sectional survey was done to assess the death anxiety and death depression
among 100 elderly who were age of more than 60 years.
Results: Majority (94.0%) of elderly people had moderate death anxiety whereas (3.0%) had severe
death anxiety. Majority (72%) elderly people had moderate death depression whereas (15%) had severe
death depression. A significant moderate positive correlation was found between death anxiety and death
depression (r=0.477 and p=<0.001).
Conclusion: Elderly people had moderate death anxiety and death depression and both are positively
correlated.
Recommendation: There is an urgent need to initiate some interventional strategies to reduce death anxiety
and death depression among elderly so that their physical and mental health can be improved.