Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2026

Publication Title

Death Studies

Abstract

Meaning Management Theory suggests that engaging with meaning-related resources helps individuals constructively regulate consciously experienced death anxiety. Consistent with that theory, we tested whether a single-session, online work-strengths affirmation intervention reduces college students’ (N = 201) death anxiety. Participants completed baseline measures of death anxiety, meaning in life, and self-esteem. One week later, they were randomly assigned to complete either a work-related strengths reflection exercise or a neutral writing task. We assessed outcomes immediately post-intervention and two weeks later. The intervention did not significantly reduce death anxiety in the full sample. Exploratory analyses showed small, immediate reductions among participants with elevated baseline death anxiety, but these effects did not persist at follow-up. Meaning in life and self-esteem did not mediate outcomes. The findings suggest that meaning-based interventions may operate conditionally rather than universally, and other intervention strategies are likely needed to produce reductions in death anxiety preventatively in young adults.

Funding Source

This article was published Open Access thanks to a transformative agreement between Milner Library and Taylor & Francis.

Comments

First published in Death Studies (2026): https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2026.2659888

DOI

10.1080/07481187.2026.2659888

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