THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, RELIGIOSITY, LONELINESS, AND DEATH ANXIETY AMONG MALAYSIAN PRIVATE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

Death anxiety has rarely been studied among the younger generation, and could be useful in understanding their attitudes toward death. This study investigated the association between psychological distress, religiosity, loneliness and death anxiety among university students. The cross-sectional quantitative study included 160 students who were from a private university in Malaysia. Participants were self-administered scales on death anxiety, religiosity, depression, anxiety, stress, loneliness, and suicidality. Results showed that religiosity, suicidality, and loneliness were not significantly correlated with death anxiety. However, participants with higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress reported a significantly lower level of death anxiety. University students with psychological distress should be screened for death anxiety as a lower level of death anxiety may predispose an individual to suicidal ideation.