Exploration of Death Anxiety as a Function of Religious Variables in Gay Men with and without Aids

Abstract

The relationship of religious variables to death anxiety was investigated in fifty-one gay men with AIDS and sixty-four gay men without AIDS. Higher death anxiety in the men with AIDS was associated with greater church attendance, belonging to the religion of childhood, citing religion to have been “harmful,” and not adhering to a spiritual belief system independent of formal religion. Within the group of men without AIDS higher death anxiety was associated with having the same religion as in childhood.