Death Distress and Mental Wellbeing: Serial Mediating Roles of Meaning-Based Coping and Hope

Abstract

While having an awareness of death may make life more meaningful for some individuals, it might also cause death distress for others. This study aims to understand the effects of death distress as an existential problem on mental health. A novel aspect of this study is the examination of the mediating roles of meaning-based coping and hope in this relationship. In the study, data were collected from 397 adults residing in 51 different Turkish provinces. The age range of the participants was 18 to 57 years old, and the average age was 24.39 years. (SD = 5.42). The participants participated in the study voluntarily through a web-based form. Using structural equation modeling (SEM) and the bootstrapping method, the relationships between variables were determined. All variables in the study were found to be related to each other. Additionally, as a result of the serial multiple mediation analysis, it was determined that meaning-based coping and hope played a full mediating role serially in the relationship between death distress and mental well-being. This finding indicates that death distress predicts mental well-being through meaning-based coping and hope. In conclusion, the findings indicate that meaning-based coping and hope have a beneficial and positive effect on reducing the negative impact of death distress on mental well-being.