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Religious and Spiritual Changes After Near-Death Experience: A Survey-Based Study Among Urban Indonesians

Rena Latifa, Maryam Abidah Masykuroh, Stefan Huber

Religions March 12, 2026 DOI: 10.3390/rel17030355 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Observational cohort Peer reviewed
Sample size 402
Population Adults residing in Jakarta, Indonesia who had near-death experiences
Topics Near-death experience
Keywords Religiosity Spirituality Transformative learning Population Cognition Early adulthood Developmental psychology Young adult
Key findings Age and pre-existing spirituality or religiosity moderate changes in spiritual or religious levels following NDEs, with early adulthood showing the highest rate of increase.

Abstract

Near-death experiences (NDEs) are profound psychological events known to catalyze significant spiritual transformation, though most research has been conducted in Western contexts. This study investigated perceived changes in spirituality or religiosity following NDEs among adults residing in Jakarta, Indonesia (N = 402 NDErs; 70% female; Mage = 23, SD = 7.93). This population is crucial as spirituality or religiosity are deeply intertwined yet understudied here. Gender differences were non-significant in both continuous (t(400) = 0.43, p = 0.671) and categorical analyses (χ2(2) = 1.03, p = 0.597). Crucially, age emerged as a significant moderator. Early adulthood showed the highest rate of post-NDE increase, significantly exceeding adolescence (z = −2.86, p = 0.004). Conversely, middle adulthood showed higher baseline levels but greater post-NDE stability. Furthermore, pre-existing spirituality or religiosity significantly predicted post-NDE changes (r = 0.174, p < 0.001). Interestingly, non-religious individuals were paradoxically overrepresented among those reporting a decrease (χ2(4) = 15.10, p = 0.004). These findings indicate that age and pre-existing levels of spirituality or religiosity potentially moderate the relationship between NDEs and changes in spiritual or religious levels following NDEs, highlighting the role of developmental and cognitive factors in transformative experiences. This study suggests that NDEs are associated with increased spirituality or religiosity among Indonesians, consistent with the broader global literature on their transformative aftereffects.

Comparable studies

Other observational and cohort studies on near-death experience, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands Cardiac patients successfully resuscitated after cardiac arrest in ten Dutch hospitals 2001 Prospective cohort study n = 344
Incidence and correlates of near-death experiences in a cardiac care unit Cardiac inpatients at a tertiary care center 2003 Observational cohort n = 1,595
Features of "near-death experience" in relation to whether or not patients were near death Patients who believed they were near death during an illness or after an injury and... 1990 Observational cohort n = 58
The phenomenology of near-death experiences Subjects who reported near-death experiences 1980 Retrospective study n = 78
Near-Death Experiences and the Temporal Lobe Individuals who reported having had a near-death experience during a life-threatening... 2004 Observational cohort

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