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 December 5, 2019 Simone Bianco, I. Testoni, A. Palmieri et al. 35 citations
People who have had a near-death experience report lower fear of death, higher self-esteem, greater mindfulness, and a view of death as a transition rather than annihilation, compared to those who have not. The effect of a near-death experience on death anxiety is both direct and indirect, mediated by changes in self-esteem and how death is represented. These findings, based on 102 individuals with a near-death experience and 104 without, suggest that psychological factors beyond the experience itself contribute to reduced death anxiety.