Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 PhD Candidate, Counseling and Psychological Department, Islamic Azad University, Bojnord Branch, Bojnord, Iran
2 Full Professor, Department of Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
3 Department of Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
Abstract
Extended Abstract:
Introduction
Death thinking is defined as concern about death. Therefore, death-thinking individuals are aware of their own inevitable death and concerned about facing it. It can be said that death thinking is the way people deal with death and the way they understand it: both are related to the lifestyle and death anxiety. According to Terror Management Theory, when thoughts of death are consciously focused on, the person's lifestyle becomes more oriented toward meaning, personal values, and authentic relationships, and as a result, psychological distress such as death anxiety is reduced. On the other hand, when thoughts of death are on the periphery of individuals’ mental life, their lives are more prone to dysfunctional relationships and psychological disorders. Furthermore, the fear of thinking about death in people with death anxiety means accepting the lack of control over death. In cases where people face death dynamically and constructively, their depression, anxiety, and despair are reduced and their lifestyle is improved. Moreover, anxiety and inefficient lifestyle can be seen as reactions to the issue of death. Due to the high psychological pressure felt as a result of anticipating imminent death, some prisoners show maladaptive and destructive behaviors such as using drugs and strong painkillers, self-harm, and conflict, the consequences of which lead to an increase in depression, aggression, despair, self-harm, and other harmful behaviors for themselves and other prisoners. Considering the role of constructive death thinking on the meaning of life, and its relationship with lifestyle, conducting a study on the effectiveness of death-thinking-based intervention is important. Death-thinking psychotherapy assumes that the real, personal and realistic encounter with the phenomenon of death can lead to the promotion and improvement of the lifestyle of prisoners. This study, therefore, aimed at investigating the effectiveness of death-thinking treatment on death anxiety and lifestyle of prisoners.
Methodology
This research employed a quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test control group design. The statistical population consisted of all male prisoners (N = 825) residing at the Counseling Center No. 3 of the Central Prison of Mashhad. From this population, 24 prisoners who met the inclusion criteria were selected and randomly assigned to two groups: an experimental and a control group (12 participants in each group). Then, all participants completed the questionnaires in the pre-test stage, including the Laali et al.'s Lifestyle Questionnaire (LSQ; 2013) and Templer's Death Anxiety Questionnaire (TDAS; 1970). The members of the experimental group received 16 sessions of the Death-Thinking-Based Psychotherapy while the members of the control group did not receive any intervention. After the intervention period, the participants of both groups were asked again to complete the study questionnaires for the post-test stage. Finally, the collected data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and multivariate analysis of variance (MANCOVA) in SPSS-21.
Results
The ANCOVA analysis showed a significant difference between the lifestyle of the members of the experimental and control groups. Therefore, it can be concluded that the intervention based on death-thinking significantly improved the lifestyle of prisoners in the experimental group compared to the lifestyle of the members of the control group (p<0.05). Moreover, the between-subjects effects test for death anxiety showed a significant F value, indicating a significant difference between the experimental and control groups. Accordingly, the intervention based on death-thinking reduced prisoners’ death anxiety (P<0.05).
Table 1. Descriptive Statistics (Mean and Std. Deviation) of Variables’ Pre-test and Post-test Scores
Variable
Experimental Group
Control Group
Mean
Std. Deviation
Mean
Std. Deviation
Lifestyle
Pre-test
120.26
20.64
131.13
22.30
Post-test
140.66
21.01
128.66
23.22
Death anxiety
Pre-test
9.66
1.75
7.13
2.89
Post-test
6.73
2.65
8.20
2.36
Table 2. Univariate ANCOVA: Experimental vs. Control Group Comparison on Prisoner’s Lifestyle
Source
Sum of Squares
Deg. of Freedom
Mean Square
F
Significance
Eta Coefficient
Pretest
3835.90
1
3835.90
49.21
0.000
0.65
Group
3492.20
1
3492.20
44.79
0.000
0.62
Error
719.04
27
26.63
Total
2504.96
29
Table 3. Univariate ANCOVA: Experimental vs. Control Group Comparison on Prisoner’s Death Anxiety
Source
Sum of Squares
Deg. of Freedom
Mean Square
F
Significance
Eta Coefficient
Pretest
50.58
1
50.58
10.77
0.003
0.28
Group
48.10
1
48.10
10.24
0.003
0.27
Error
126.74
27
4.69
Total
193.46
29
Discussion and Conclusion
This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of the treatment based on death-thinking on the lifestyle, and death anxiety among prisoners. The results showed that death-thinking-based treatment significantly improved lifestyle and reduced the level of death anxiety. The evidence confirms the practical validity of the treatment based on death thinking. The clinical observations showed that these impacts were evident in areas such as motivation and goals. The observations also showed that the prisoners who received the treatment based on death-thinking changed their internal and external goals. This finding is in line with the findings of Hashemi and Qolizadeh (2024). Many people can use the findings of this study, including those who seek a better lifestyle, and the psychologists whose clients are in situations with imminent death such as those sentenced to death or awaiting imminent death in prisons, or patients with incurable diseases such as cancer and AIDS.
Ethical Considerations
Before the intervention, the general objectives of the study were explained to the participants and their informed consent was obtained, and the confidentiality of their identity was assured. This research was approved under the ethics code IR.IAU.BOJNOURD.REC.14010010.
Keywords: Lifestyle, Death Anxiety, Death Thinking, Prisoner.
Keywords
Main Subjects
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