Psychosocial Correlates of Death Anxiety in Advanced Cancer: A Scoping Review

Objectives: Individuals living with advanced cancer commonly experience death anxiety, which refers to the distressing thoughts or feelings associated with awareness of one's mortality. Deriving an overview of existing literature on the psychological and social factors linked to death anxiety may inform conceptual models, clinical screening, and intervention strategies in oncology and palliative care. Therefore, the present scoping review was conducted to summarize the current literature on the psychosocial correlates of death anxiety among individuals with advanced cancer.

Methods: A comprehensive scoping review methodology was used following the Arksey and O'Malley framework. A literature search was conducted using four electronic databases: CINAHL, Embase, PsycInfo, and MEDLINE. Abstracts and full-text articles were screened, and relevant data were extracted and summarized.

Results: Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Seventeen psychosocial correlates of death anxiety were identified, with depression, spiritual well-being, and attachment security representing the most frequently investigated. Four previously tested death anxiety models were also identified, two of which were designed longitudinally.

Conclusions: This review provides a current summary of psychosocial factors and established models related to death anxiety in advanced cancer. Multiple psychosocial correlates should be targeted concurrently in research and clinical practice to address death anxiety. Longitudinal studies designed to test new models are especially needed to identify unique pathways contributing to death anxiety across the disease trajectory of advanced cancer.