Relationship between perceived stress and death anxiety with mediating role of self-transcendence among older patients with myocardial infarction.
BMC Psychology December 26, 2025 Seyed Mohammadreza Hosseini, Fatemeh Mohammadi, Zahra Hosseinkhani et al.
Among older adults who have had a myocardial infarction, higher perceived stress is linked to greater death anxiety, and this relationship is partly explained by lower self-transcendence. In a sample of 252 older patients, those with more perceived stress reported more death anxiety, and self-transcendence mediated that connection. The findings suggest that fostering self-transcendence—through practices such as meaning-centered therapy or mindfulness—could help reduce death anxiety in cardiac rehabilitation.