The relationship between death anxiety and hope and psychological well-being in individuals diagnosed with cancer

This study was conducted in a descriptive and correlational manner to evaluate the relationship between death anxiety of cancer patients and psychological well-being and hope. The study was conducted with 188 cancer patients receiving treatment in a training and research hospital in Yenimahalle district of Ankara in 2024. Personal Information Form, Death Anxiety Scale, Trait Hope Scale and Psychological Well-being Scale were used to collect data. In order to evaluate the relationship between the personal and health-disease characteristics of the individuals and the total death anxiety scores, since the data were normally distributed, t-test and Oneway ANOVA test (Post hoc test: Bonferroni) were used in independent groups. Pearson correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between age and the mean scores of the scales in the study. In the study, multiple regression analysis was used by selecting the backward method to evaluate the variables that could affect the total death anxiety score. According to the findings obtained in the study, it was determined that the total death anxiety scale score of cancer patients was 7.32±2.53. It was found that there was a significant difference between the death anxiety score average with gender, marital status, education level, type of cancer, cancer stage, type of treatment, continuous hope and psychological well-being level (p<0.05). It was observed that there was no statistically significant difference between the working status, monthly income and social security status of the individuals and the total death anxiety scores. No significant relationship was found between the age of the individuals and the total death anxiety score (p>0.05). There was a negative moderate relationship between the total death anxiety score and the level of trait hope (p<0.05), and a negative moderate relationship between it and psychological well-being (p<0.05). As a result, it was observed that as individuals' death anxiety increased, their trait hope and psychological well-being levels decreased. In this context, new studies should be conducted to gain more information about death anxiety, which has an effect on hope and psychological well-being levels, and to determine other factors affecting this anxiety. Keywords: Cancer, Death Anxiety, Psychiatric Nursing, Psychological Well-Being, Hope