Prediction of death anxiety through fear of COVID-19, neuroticism, behavioral inhibition system and uncertainty intolerance

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 M.A. student of clinical psychology, Faculty of Educational Science and Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

2 Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Science and Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

3 Assistant professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Science and Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction: Due to the increasing rate of COVID-19 disease, experiencing high levels of death anxiety is predictable all over the world. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the prediction path of death anxiety through fear of COVID-19, neuroticism, behavioral inhibition system, and uncertainty intolerance.
 
Materials and Methods: The research design of this study was descriptive-correlation and of structural equations type. The statistical population of this study included Iranian adults from whom, 400 were selected by the convenient sampling method. Data were collected in July and August 2020 using the Templer Death Anxiety Scale (TDAS), Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), Neo Five-Factor Inventory short form questionnaire (NEO-FFI), the Behavioral Inhibition System/Behavioral Activation System Scale (BIS/BAS Scale), and Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, in Mashhad- Iran. Data analysis was performed using the Pearson correlation method, path analysis, SPSS version 26, and AMOS version 24.
 
Results: The results showed that there are significant relationships between death anxiety with fear of COVID-19 (P< 0.01), and neuroticism (P< 0.01); between behavioral inhibition system with intolerance of uncertainty (P< 0.01); and between Intolerance of uncertainty with death anxiety (P< 0.01). Also, the path of predicting death anxiety through neuroticism, behavioral inhibition system and intolerance of uncertainty was confirmed at the level of 0.001 and the path was significant.
 
Conclusion: Based on the findings, death anxiety is predicted by the path of fear of COVID-19, neuroticism, behavioral inhibition system, and uncertainty intolerance.

Keywords


  1. Ramos C. [Covid-19: la nueva enfermedad causada por un COVID-19 virus]. Salud Pública de México 2020; 62(2): 225-37. [Spanish]
  2. Sohrabi C, Alsafi Z, O’Neill N, Khan M, Kerwan A, Al-Jabir A, et al. World Health Organization declares global emergency: A review of the 2019 novel COVID-19 (COVID-19). Int J Surg 2020; 76(3): 71-6.
  3. Bogoch II, Watts A, Thomas-Bachli A, Huber C, Kraemer MU, Khan K. Pneumonia of unknown aetiology in Wuhan, China: Potential for international spread via commercial air travel. J Travel Med 2020; 27(2): 008.
  4. Asmundson GJ, Taylor S. How health anxiety influences responses to viral outbreaks like COVID-19: What all decision-makers, health authorities, and health care professionals need to know. J Anxiety Disord 2020; 71(10): 11-22.
  5. Asghari Ebrahim Abad MJ, Shirkhani M, Mazloomzadeh M, Maghsoudi S, Salayani F. Relationship between fear of COVID-19 and death anxiety: Mediating role of behavioral inhibition system. Journal of fundamentals of mental health 2021; 23(3): 215-25.
  6. Malinauskaite I, Slapikas R, Courvoisier D, Mach F, Gencer B. The fear of dying and occurrence of posttraumatic stress symptoms after an acute COVID-19 syndrome: A prospective observational study. J Health Psychol 2017; 22(2): 208-17.
  7.  Newton-John T, Menzies R, Chambers S, Menzies R. Psychological distress associated with COVID-19: Estimations of threat and the relationship with death anxiety. SSRN Electronic journal 2020: ppcovidwho-4630.
  8. Pradhan M, Chettri A, Maheshwari S. Fear of death in the shadow of COVID-19: The mediating role of perceived stress in the relationship between neuroticism and death anxiety. Death Stud 2022; 46(5): 1106-10.
  9.  Lee SA, Jobe MC, Mathis AA, Gibbons JA. Incremental validity of COVID-19 phobia: COVID-19 anxiety explains depression, generalized anxiety, and death anxiety. J Anxiety Disord 2020; 74: 102268.
  10. Nikčević AV, Marino C, Kolubinski DC, Leach D, Spada MM. Modeling the contribution of the Big Five personality traits, health anxiety, and COVID-19 psychological distress to generalized anxiety and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Affect Disord 2021; 279: 578-84.
  11. Haseeb U. Effects of death anxiety on learning performance. BA. Dissertation. Florida, USA: University of Central Florida, 2020.
  12.  Gray J, McNaughton N. The neuropsychology of anxiety. New York: Oxford University; 2000: 72-82.
  13. Asghari Ebrahim Abad MJ, Mazloomzadeh M, Shirkhani M, Sabbagh K, Salayani F. [Predicting health anxiety based on fear of Covid-19 mediated by behavioral activation and inhibition system. Journal of Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences 2021; 28(3): 311-19.‏ (Persian)
  14. Mehregan MR, Hosseinzadeh M, Emadi MM. The mediating role of affect in the relationship between the big five factor personality and risk aversion: A structural model. International journal of applied behavioral sciences 2018; 5(2): 28-36.
  15. Radell ML, Myers CE, Beck KD, Moustafa AA, Allen MT. The personality trait of intolerance to uncertainty affects behavior in a novel computer-based conditioned place preference task. Front Psychol 2016; 7: 1175.
  16. Lowe J, Harris LM. A comparison of death anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty and self-esteem as predictors of social anxiety symptoms. Behav Change 2019; 36(3): 165-79.
  17. de Jong-Meyer R, Beck B, Riede K. Relationships between rumination, worry, intolerance of uncertainty and metacognitive beliefs. Pers Individ Dif 2009; 46(4): 547-51.
  18. Buhr K, Dugas MJ. Investigating the construct validity of intolerance of uncertainty and its unique relationship with worry. J Anxiety Disord 2006; 20(2): 22-36.
  19. Cai H, Tu B, Ma J, Chen L, Fu L, Jiang Y, et al. Psychological impact and coping strategies of frontline medical staff in Hunan between January and March 2020 during the outbreak of COVID-19 disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Hubei, China. Med Sci Monit 2020; 26: e924171-1.
  20. Goñi-Balentziaga O, Garmendia L, Labaka A, Lebeña A, Beitia G, Gómez-Lázaro E, et al. Behavioral coping strategies predict tumor development and behavioral impairment after chronic social stress in mice. Physiol Behav 2020; 214: 112747.
  21. Templer DI. The construction and validation of a death anxiety scale. J Gen Psychol 1970; 82(2): 165-77.
  22.  Rajabi GHR, Bahrani M. [The analysis of Death Anxiety Scale]. Journal of psychology 2001; 5(4): 331-4 (Persian)
  23. Ahorsu DK, Lin C-Y, Imani V, Saffari M, Griffiths MD, Pakpour AH. The fear of COVID-19 scale: development and initial validation. Int J Ment Health Addiction 2020; 20: 1537-45.
  24. Haren EG, Mitchell CW. Relationships between the Five-Factor Personality Model and coping styles. Psychology and education: An interdisciplinary journal 2003; 40(1): 38-49.
  25.  Costa PT, McCrae RR. Normal personality assessment in clinical practice: The NEO Personality Inventory. Psychol Assess 1992; 4(1): 5.
  26. Delavar A, Baratian, Kashif R. Normalization of the five-factor NEO-FFI test for the selection of candidates to enter the Amin University of Police Sciences. Naja scientific quarterly journal of human resources; 5: 15-22. (Persian)
  27. Carver CS, White TL. Behavioral inhibition, behavioral activation, and affective responses to impending reward and punishment: the BIS/BAS scales. J Pers Soc Psychol 1994; 67(2): 319.
  28. Muris P, Meesters C, Spinder M. Relationships between child-and parent-reported behavioural inhibition and symptoms of anxiety and depression in normal adolescents. Pers Individ Dif 2003; 34(5): 759-71.
  29. Mohammadi N. [The psychometric properties of the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) and Behavioral Activation System (BAS) scales among students of Shiraz University]. Clinical psychology and personality 2008; 6(1): 61-68. (Persian)
  30. Hasani J, Salehi S, Rasoouli Azad M. [Psychometric properties of the Jackson five-factor questionnaire: Scales of revised sensitivity theory to reinforcement]. Quarterly journal of mental health research 2012; 6(3): 60-73. (Persian)
  31. Freeston MH, Rhéaume J, Letarte H, Dugas MJ, Ladouceur R. Why do people worry? Per Individ Dif 1994; 17(6): 791-802.
  32. MahmudAliloo M, Shahjooee T, Hashemi Z. [Comparison of intolerance of uncertainty, negative problem orientation, cognitive avoidance, positive beliefs about worries in patient whit generalized anxiety disorder and control group]. Journal of modern psychological researches 2011; 5: 169-87. (Persian)
  33. Arfaei A, Besharat Garamaleki R, Gholizadeh H, Hekmati I. Intolerance of uncertainty: comparison of major depressive patients with obsessive-compulsive patient. Medical journal of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences 2010; 33(5): 17-22. (Persian)
  34.  Jungmann SM, Witthöft M. Health anxiety, cyberchondria, and coping in the current COVID-19 pandemic: Which factors are related to COVID-19 anxiety? J Anxiety Disord 2020; 73: 102239.
  35. Dong L, Bouey J. Public mental health crisis during COVID-19 pandemic, China. Emerg Infect Dis 2020; 26(7): 3201.
  36. Li W, Yang Y, Liu Z-H, Zhao Y-J, Zhang Q, Zhang L, et al. Progression of mental health services during the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Int J Biol Sci 2020; 16(10): 1732.
  37. Caci B, Miceli S, Scrima F, Cardaci M. Neuroticism and fear of COVID-19. The interplay between boredom, fantasy engagement, and perceived control over time. Front Psychol 2020; 11: 574393.
  38. Troisi A, Nanni RC, Riconi A, Carola V, Di Cave D. Fear of COVID-19 among healthcare workers: The role of neuroticism and fearful attachment. J Clin Med 2021; 10(19): 43-58.
  39. Harmon-Jones E, Gable PA. On the role of asymmetric frontal cortical activity in approach and withdrawal motivation: An updated review of the evidence. Psychophysiology 2018; 55(1): 28459501.
  40. Yan C, Dillard JP. Emotion inductions cause changes in activation levels of the behavioural inhibition and approach systems. Pers Individ Dif 2010; 48(5): 676-80.
  41. Thake J, Zelenski JM. Neuroticism, BIS, and reactivity to discrete negative mood inductions. Pers Individ Dif 2013; 54(2): 208-13.
  42. Smits DJ, Boeck P. From BIS/BAS to the big five. Eur J Pers 2006; 20(4): 255-70.
  43. Mazloomzadeh MR, Ghanbari Hashemabadi BA, Jahangiri A. [The relationship between personality characteristics and life satisfaction with the mediating role of emotional intelligence]. Journal of education in counseling and psychotherapy 2022; 10: 88-103. (Persian)

44.          Corr PJ. J. A. Gray's reinforcement sensitivity theory and frustrative nonreward: a theoretical note on expectancies in reactions to rewarding stimuli. Pers Individ Dif 2002; 32(7): 1247-53.

  1. Gray J. The psychology of fear and stress. New York: Cambridge University; 1987.
  2. Gray JA, Owen S, Davis N, Tsaltas E. Psychological and physiological relations between anxiety and impulsivity. In: Zuckerman M. (editor). Biological bases of sensation seeking, impulsivity, and anxiety. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum; 1983: 181-217.
  3. Gray JA. The psychophysiological basis of introversion-extraversion. Behav Res Ther 1970; 8(3): 249-66.
  4. Gray JA. Perspectives on anxiety and impulsivity: A commentary. J Res Pers 1987; 21(4): 493-509.
  5. Gray JA. A critique of Eysenck’s theory of personality. A model for personality.  New York: Springer; 1981: 246-76.
  6. Alizadeh A, Hasanzadeh L, Mahmood Aliloo M, Poursharifi H. [Predict of worry based on behavioral activation and inhibition systems (BAS/BIS), cognitive emotion regulation and intolerance of uncertainty in students]. Cognitive psychology 2014; 2(3): 1-11. (Persian)
  7. Bulut MB. Relationship between COVID-19 anxiety and fear of death: The mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty among a Turkish sample. Curr Psychol 2022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03281-x