Role of mindfulness meditation as moderating variable in reducing death anxiety
Gagan Jain
Mortality July 25, 2023 DOI: 10.1080/13576275.2023.2230149 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 42 |
| Population | Adults (25 male, 17 female) during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Dose | 20 minutes |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness meditation significantly reduced death anxiety in the experimental group relative to the control group, indicating that a brief 20-minute meditation practice may moderate death anxiety during a period of heightened death salience. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT The widespread mortality caused by the second wave of COVID created a sense of death salience world over. Past literature suggests that reminder of one’s own mortality produces death anxiety in a person. The present study intends to see the effect of mindfulness meditation as a moderating variable on death anxiety. For this, the participants (n = 42; 25 male, 17 female) were randomly assigned to the control and the experimental groups. The experimental group practiced 20 minutes of mindfulness meditation while the control group received no such intervention. It has been found that there was a significant impact of mindfulness meditation on the experimental group in reducing death anxiety.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Training the embodied self in its impermanence: meditators evidence neurophysiological markers of death acceptance. Neuroscience of Consciousness 2025
- Synergistic effects of Buddhist five precepts and death contemplation on inner strengths and mental health in elderly Thai meditators. BMC Psychology December 8, 2025
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