Table 1 Original research examining terror management theory (TMT) and life-threatening illness
From: Applying terror management theory to patients with life-threatening illness: a systematic review
Study/Location | Design | Main aim | Sample | Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Little and Sayers (2004) Australia | Qualitative analysis of interviews and published narratives | To define categories of experience related to death awareness in cancer survivors and their caregivers | 17 cancer survivors; 3 partners and caregivers of cancer survivors | People who were mortality salient (aware of inevitability of death as shared eventual fate) turned outward for validation. People who were death salient (aware of inevitability of personal death) turned inward. |
Edmondson, Park, Chaudoir, and Wortmann (2008) USA | Cross-sectional | To explore the validity of TMT in the context of chronic, intense mortality salience due to terminal illness | 98 patients with end-stagea congestive heart failure and some level of religiosity | Religious world views that provide meaning and value buffered death concerns in terminally ill people; a breakdown in religious world views increased vulnerability to terror of death. |
Fernandez-Campos (2013) Indiab | Cross-sectional | To explore whether chronic exposure to death leads to death acceptance | 30 patients with advanced terminal cancer and 29 farmers with no major health concerns | Both groups were more defensive of their world views after being asked to think about their own death, suggesting that having a terminal illness does not lead to death acceptance. |
Neel, Lo, Rydall, Hales, and Rodin (2013) Canada | Cross-sectional | To measure death anxiety and determine the psychosocial and disease-related factors associated with it | 60 outpatients with advanced cancer | Self-esteem served as a protective factor against death anxiety in people for whom death was imminent. |
Willis, Mah, Shapiro, Hales, Li, An, Zimmermann, Schutlebraucks, Rodin (2021) USA | Secondary analysis of a longitudinal RCT | To assess the effect of TMT defense mechanisms on death anxiety in those with advanced cancer | 305 patients with advanced cancer | The defense mechanisms described by TMT buffer against the death anxiety experienced by those with terminal conditions |
Hong, Yuhan, Youhui, Zhanyin, Shili, Xiaoting, Wenhua (2022) China | Cross-sectional | To explore the relationship between factors predicted by TMT to be defense mechanisms and the relationship to death anxiety | 270 patients with advanced cancer | Patients with high self-esteem, resilience, and adult children reported lower death anxiety, suggesting a possible protective factor |