(PS8-38) Death Anxiety in LGBTQ+ College Students at a Christian University

Death anxiety is apprehensiveness, uneasiness, and fear caused by the awareness of death. It is a multidimensional construct that has negative consequences similar to generalized anxiety, causing worry, distress, tension, and other negative consequences. Death anxiety in individuals can cause mild to severe distress in their everyday life; research has shown that CBT can significantly reduce death anxiety in specific demographics. Current research focuses on defining death anxiety, identifying the role of religiosity in individuals with death anxiety, and examining how death anxiety differs in different demographics (e.g. age, gender). One demographic that has been neglected in research on death anxiety is LGBTQ+ individuals. This study sought to determine if LGBTQ+ individuals experienced more death anxiety than straight individuals, using the Revised Death Anxiety scale (Thorson & Powell, 1992). Survey was distributed around Southern Virginia University. There were 147 responses, with 110 participants who identified as straight, and 37 participants who identified as LGBTQ+. 

Results indicated no significant difference in death anxiety between the two groups (Mann Whitney U 1843.000, p 0.39). Given that there is virtually no research around the LGBTQ+ demographic in regards to death anxiety, more research should be conducted between LGBTQ+ groups (e.g. gay and lesbian) to examine possible differences in death anxiety based on sexual orientation. Further research should also include etiology of an individuals death anxiety, taking into account possible religiosity, and the effectiveness of CBT on LGBTQ+ individuals with death anxiety.