The mediation role of self-esteem and mindfulness in the relationship between death anxiety and panic disorder

The aim of this thesis is to test the theoretical model developed regarding the mediating role of self-esteem and mindfulness in the relationship between death anxiety and panic disorder. The universe of the study consists of male and female patients between the ages of 20-60 and diagnosed with panic disorder by a psychiatrist according to DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. The sample is composed of 154 individuals who voluntarily participated in the study among the male and female patients between the ages of 20-60 and diagnosed with panic disorder by a psychiatrist according to DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. The data of the study were collected by using "Personal Fear of Death Scale (Florian and Kravetz (1983)", "Lifelong Panic-Agoraphobic Spectrum Scale Self-Report Form (PASÖ-AS)", "Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale" and "Conscious Awareness Scale (BİFÖ)". In the study, the direct and indirect relationships between the death anxiety and panic disorder symptoms of the subjects and their self-esteem and mindfulness levels were tested by Structural Equation Modeling. There was a negative significance between the implicit variable of death anxiety and the self-esteem implicit variable; a negative significance between self-esteem and the implicit variable of panic disorder, a negative significance between the implicit variable of death anxiety and mindfulness, a moderate and negative significance between the implicit variable of mindfulness and panic disorder, and a strong positive relationship between self-esteem and minfulness implicit variables. The results show that the ways established through the variables of self-esteem and mindfulness are significant in the relationship between death anxiety and panic disorder variables. According to the results of the study, a partial mediating role of self-esteem and mindfulness was found between death anxiety and panic disorder. The findings of the five indirect paths in the model tested in this study were discussed in the light of the literature. Key words: Death Anxiety, Panic Disorder, Self Esteem, Mindfulness, Mediation