EnglishCyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology Vol.8 Issue.1
Doi:10.35365/ctjpp.26.1.02
RESEARCH ARTICLE / ARAŞTIRMA YAZISI
COVID-19 Anxiety and Death Anxiety: The Predicting Role of Death Anxiety
COVID-19 Kaygısı ve Ölüm Kaygısı: Ölüm Kaygısının Yordayıcı Rolü
Zeynep Demirtaş¹ 
, Nihat Arslan² , Serhat Arslan³ , Aslı Kartol4 , Salih Sarışık5
Abstract:
The primary aim of this study is to examine the relationship between COVID-19 anxiety and death anxiety among adults in the post-pandemic period. Additionally, the study aims to adapt the COVID-19 Anxiety Scale into Turkish and evaluate its psychometric properties. This research was conducted within the framework of the relational screening model. The COVID-19 Anxiety Scale was adapted into Turkish, and validity and reliability analyses were performed. Data were collected using the COVID-19 Anxiety Scale and the Death Anxiety Scale. The participants consisted of 307 adults from Turkey. The relationship between COVID-19 anxiety and death anxiety was examined using correlation and stepwise regression analyses. Factor analyses were conducted for the scale adaptation process. According to the findings, there were positive relationships between the subdimensions of death anxiety—namely Fear of the Unknown About Death, Thought and Witnessing of Death, and Fear of Pain—and COVID-19 anxiety. Furthermore, the results indicated that the COVID-19 Anxiety Scale is a valid and reliable instrument for use in the Turkish cultural context. In this regard, it can be concluded that death anxiety plays a significant role in understanding anxiety levels among adults during and after pandemic periods. This study strengthens the theoretical understanding of the relationship between death anxiety and pandemic-related anxiety and demonstrates that the subdimensions fear of the unknown, thought and witnessing of death, and fear of pain significantly predict COVID-19 anxiety in adults. The findings show the psychological effects of death-related fears during the pandemic and their potential long-term impacts on mental health. In addition, the results emphasize that managing death anxiety is important for mental health professionals and policymakers in reducing COVID-19-related psychological distress.
Keywords: COVID-19, Anxiety, Death, Death Anxiety.
1Sakarya University, Faculty of Education, Department of Educational Sciences, Sakarya, Türkiye.
2Necmettin Erbakan University, Faculty of Education, Department of Educational Sciences, Konya, Türkiye.
3Gazi University, Faculty of Education, Department of Educational Sciences, Ankara, Türkiye.
4Trakya University, Faculty of Education, Department of Educational Sciences, Edirne, Türkiye.
5Sakarya University, Institute of Education Sciences, Sakarya, Türkiye
Address of Correpondence/Yazışma Adresi: Zeynep Demirtaş, Sakarya University, Faculty of Education, Department of Educational Sciences, E Block, Muammer Sencer Street No: 44/1, Kemaliye Neighborhood, 54300 Hendek, Sakarya, Türkiye, E-mail: [email protected].
Date of Received/Geliş Tarihi: 25.05.2025, Date of Revision/Düzeltme Tarihi: 21.10.2025, Date of Acceptance/Kabul Tarihi: 26.10.2025, Date of Online Publication/Çevirimiçi Yayın Tarihi: 25.03.2026
Citing/Referans Gösterimi: Demirtaş, Z., Arslan, N., Arslan, S., Kartol, A. & Sarışık, S. (2026). COVID-19 Anxiety and Death Anxiety: The Predicting Role of Death Anxiety. Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, 8(1), 11-18, Doi: 10.35365/ctjpp.26.1.02.
© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Cyprus Mental Health Institute / Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry and Psychology (www.ktppdergisi.com). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Authors: Zeynep Demirtaş, Nihat Arslan, Serhat Arslan, Aslı Kartol, Salih Sarışık