Mark Hoelterhoff

Death Anxiety and Well-Being; Coping With Life-Threatening Events

Research was conducted among people who have experienced trauma to see the influence of coping factors on death anxiety, PTSD, and psychiatric comorbidity. The intent was to consider the role of death anxiety in relationship to PTSD and mental health among people who have experienced a life-threatening event. It examined both self-efficacy and religious coping as possible factors of death anxiety resilience in relation to trauma. This study was conducted using undergraduate university students in Lithuania. The study (N = 104) did not find evidence to support the significance of religious coping as important factor; however, self-efficacy emerged as significantly related to psychiatric comorbidity and death anxiety. However the results found that self-efficacy did not act as a mediating factor and was independently related to death anxiety and psychiatric comorbidity. Results were discussed in light of theories regarding death anxiety and the agentic model.

Posttraumatic stress disorder following asthma attack: the role of agency beliefs in mediating psychiatric morbidity

Abstract Background: The link between serious illness and subsequent posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychiatric comorbidity has been established. In populations with asthma, however, few studies have investigated this link, or what psychological mechanisms mediate it. Healthcare guidance for chronic conditions, and PTSD literature, highlight “agency beliefs” as a direction for investigation. Aims: To determine the prevalence of PTSD following asthma attack, and investigate whether agency beliefs mediate PTSD and comorbid psychiatric symptoms in this population. Method: We recruited 110 adults with asthma from online peer support forums. Participants completed the Asthma Symptom Checklist, PTSD Checklist, GHQ-28, General Self-Efficacy scale, and Multidimensional Health Locus of Control scale. Results: 20% of our sample met criteria for PTSD. Regression results indicated that higher asthma severity significantly predicted PTSD and psychiatric co-morbidity. Lower self-efficacy significantly predicted PTSD symptoms while controlling for asthma severity, however Locus of Control (LoC) did not improve the model further. Self-efficacy, but not LoC, significantly partially mediated the effect of asthma severity on PTSD severity and psychiatric co-morbidity. Conclusions: PTSD and other psychiatric symptoms in asthma populations are mediated in part by self-efficacy. Safeguarding and improving self-efficacy in this population is an important area for future research and intervention.