fear of aging

Embracing the Passage of Time: Overcoming the Fear of Getting Older

As we journey through life, one of the universal truths we all must confront is the inevitability of getting older. While ageing is a natural part of the human experience, many of us harbour a deep-seated fear of growing older. This fear can stem from various sources, including societal pressures, personal insecurities, and the uncertainty […]

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Pandemic May Have Triggered Second “Midlife Crisis” for Over-50s

Anxiety and depression that occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic appear to trigger a second “midlife crisis” in those aged 50 and older. Researchers say women struggled more than men with psychological distress during the pandemic, and this may exacerbate and accelerate neurodegeneration, mental health, and overall health disorders.

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The Psychological Correlates of Decreased Death Anxiety After a Near-Death Experience: The Role of Self-Esteem, Mindfulness, and Death Representations

Journal of Humanistic Psychology, Ahead of Print. Near-death experiences (NDE) are intense events that can have profound psychological consequences. Although decreased fear of death after an NDE is a well-documented phenomenon, it is unclear what psychological factors are associated with reduced death anxiety. In this study, grounded in terror management theory, we compared 102 people who had an NDE with 104 individuals who did not. Participants completed measures of death anxiety, self-esteem, mindfulness, and death representation. Results indicated that people who had an NDE had lower fear of death, higher self-esteem, greater mindfulness, and viewed death more as a transition rather than as absolute annihilation. Subsequent analyses found that NDE had a direct effect on death anxiety, and that the effect of NDE on death anxiety was also mediated by indirect effects on self-esteem and death representation. Implications of these findings are considered, limitations of the present study are acknowledged, and suggestions for future theory and research are proffered.

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