Mortality Salience and Death Anxiety: The Moderating Roles of Self-Esteem and Religiosity

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between mortality salience, death anxiety, and two moderating variables: self-esteem and religiosity. A total of 174 undergraduate students from the Mindanao State University-Main Campus in the Philippines were selected via convenience sampling. Specifically, the study was carried out to determine if both self-esteem and religiosity moderate the relationship between mortality salience and death anxiety. The results revealed that mortality salience was positively correlated with death anxiety among undergraduate students. Moreover, self-esteem significantly moderated the relationship between mortality salience and death anxiety, with low self-esteem enhancing this relationship. However, religiosity was found to be a non-significant moderator of the link between mortality salience and death anxiety. Overall, the findings of this study have implications for understanding these relationships and offer recommendations for further research.