Death Anxiety and Loneliness among Older Adults: Role of Parental Self-Efficacy

Lee Greenblatt-Kimron, Miri Kestler-Peleg, Ahuva Even-Zohar and Osnat Lavenda
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Lee Greenblatt-Kimron: School of Social Work, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel
Miri Kestler-Peleg: School of Social Work, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel
Ahuva Even-Zohar: School of Social Work, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel
Osnat Lavenda: School of Social Work, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 18, 1-11

Abstract: Death anxiety and loneliness are major issues for older people. The present study aimed to broaden the understanding of factors that are linked with increased loneliness in old age by examining the association between death anxiety and loneliness, and the role of an unexplored variable among older adults, namely, parental self-efficacy. A convenience sample of 362 Israeli parents over the age of 65 was recruited through means of social media. Participants completed self-reported questionnaires, which included background characteristics, death anxiety, parental self-efficacy, and loneliness measures. The findings showed that death anxiety was positively associated with loneliness among older adults. The findings also confirmed that parental self-efficacy moderated this association in this population. We concluded that the combination of death anxiety and low parental self-efficacy identified a group of older adults that are at higher risk of developing increased loneliness levels. Mental health professionals should consider intergenerational relationships as a fundamental component of older adults’ daily lives, focusing on parental self-efficacy in old age, as this appears to be a resilience resource.

Keywords: death anxiety; parental self-efficacy; loneliness; older adults (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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