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Exploring the Relationship Between Spiritual Well-Being and Death Anxiety in Survivors of Acute Myocardial Infarction: Moderating Role of Sex, Marital Status and Social Support

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Abstract

Previous empirical studies have shown that both spiritual well-being (SWB) and death anxiety (DA) significantly affect the mental health of patients with acute diseases. In this regard, our paper contributes to the extant literature by scrutinizing the conditional relationship between SWB and DA as well as the various mechanisms underpinning such a relationship in patients with acute myocardial infraction (AMI). A descriptive, correlational methodology was utilized. Our main sample consisted of 300 patients with acute myocardial infraction who were hospitalized in a specialized medical institution in Iran throughout a two-month period (i.e. August–October 2015). Patients completed Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) and Templer’s Death Anxiety Scale (TDAS). Even though our study showed that the relationship between SWB and DA in patients with AMI is non-significant, we found that (1) single patients with higher SWB have lower DA, (2) single patients with higher SWB as well as social support have significantly lower DA, and (3) for single men/men without social support, there is a negative relationship between SWB and DA. The relationship between SWB and DA is influenced by factors such as sex, marital status and social support. In addition, the specific nature of this relationship (i.e. strength and sign) is dependent upon the sociodemographic characteristics of patients as well as other contextual influences. Result revealed that although relationship between SWB and DA is non-significant, this is influenced by factors such as sex and social support. In addition, the specific nature of this relationship (i.e. strength and sign) is dependent upon the sociodemographic characteristics of patients as well as other contextual influences.

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Funding

This study was funded by Qazvin University of Medical Sciences (Grant Number P.54).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran

    Mohammad Ali Soleimani

  2. Taylor’s Business School, Taylor’s University Malaysia, Subang Jaya, Malaysia

    Saeed Pahlevan Sharif

  3. School of Nursing & Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Ameneh Yaghoobzadeh

  4. Nottingham University Business School, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Jalan Broga, 43500, Semenyih, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

    Ken Kyid Yeoh

  5. Interpersonal Relationships and Development Laboratory, Psychology Department, Concordia University (PY-205), 7141 Sherbrooke Street, West Montreal, QC, H4B 1R6, Canada

    Bianca Panarello

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  1. Mohammad Ali Soleimani
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Correspondence to Ameneh Yaghoobzadeh.

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Soleimani, M.A., Sharif, S.P., Yaghoobzadeh, A. et al. Exploring the Relationship Between Spiritual Well-Being and Death Anxiety in Survivors of Acute Myocardial Infarction: Moderating Role of Sex, Marital Status and Social Support. J Relig Health 57, 683–703 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-017-0554-2

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