Kenneth E Vail
Biographic Data
| ID | 757293 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Kenneth E Vail |
| GIVEN NAMES | Kenneth E |
| FAMILY NAME | Vail |
| SIGNATURE | VAIL K E |
| AFFILIATIONS | Cleveland State University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2993-3379 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 152 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 22 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2009 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Race, religion, and inclusive healthcare: Exploring intersections between racial and spiritual identities among older adults
Attitudes toward healthcare are often shaped by religious and spiritual beliefs, including among older adults from racial and ethnic minority communities. Many rely on faith to navigate aging, influencing how they interpret health, illness, and interactions with medicine. Guided by an intersectional framework, this qualitative study explores how race, religion, spirituality, age, and healthcare experiences intersect among older adults from racial…
Existential distress among individuals with co-occurring chronic pain and PTSD
The present study provides evidence that existential distress may be an important factor among individuals with co-occurring chronic pain and PTSD. Moreover, PTSD may be more strongly associated with existential distress compared with chronic pain. Results show that it may be beneficial to focus on existential distress when treating co-occurring chronic pain and PTSD. More research is needed to validate these results and examine existential distr…
The captain of my soul: Self-determination and need-satisfaction help manage death-related cognition, anxiety, and well-being
The present research tested the idea that a self-determined orientation may help people manage death-related thoughts and anxieties, and mitigate the effects of death awareness on well-being. Seven studies ( N = 3,331), using a diversity of measures and manipulations, were consistent with that idea. First, mortality salience (vs. other topic primes) increased death-thought accessibility, but not if participants had high need-satisfaction (Study 1…
Pain-related disability, PTSD symptoms, and mood among a comorbid chronic pain and PTSD sample prior to and during the Covid-19 pandemic
There is a knowledge gap when treating comorbid chronic pain and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing this gap, 169 individuals (57.4% female), aged 39.8 years were recruited based on levels of pain-related disability and PTSD symptoms. Participants were assessed prior to, and during, the COVID-19 pandemic. Improvements in pain-related disability were marginally attenuated for the comorbid group, compared …
Divergent effects of social media use on meaning in life via loneliness and existential isolation during the coronavirus pandemic
Stay-at-home orders issued to combat the growing number of infections during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 had many psychological consequences for people including elevated stress, anxiety, and difficulty maintaining meaning in their lives. The present studies utilized cross-sectional designs and were conducted to better understand how social media usage related to people's subjective isolation (i.e., social loneliness, emotional loneliness, a…
The Existential Quest: Doubt, Openness, and the Exploration of Religious Uncertainty
Terror management theory suggests people can manage existential concerns through faith in their cultural systems, including religious beliefs. It is not clear, however, how people with a religious “quest” orientation manage such existential concerns. The present research explored the intersection between existential concern and religious quest. Quest individuals experience doubt, which comes at the cost of greater death-related anxieties (Study 1…
Anxiety Buffer Disruption: Self-Evaluation, Death Anxiety, and Stressor Appraisals Among Low and High Posttraumatic Stress Symptom Samples
Objective: Research driven by terror management theory suggests sociocultural anxiety-buffer systems typically protect against existential anxiety, whereas anxiety buffer disruption theory suggests traumatic experiences may disrupt that process. Method: Following posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptom screening (n = 4097), individuals with low (n = 149) and high (n = 120) PTS engaged in either negative or positive self-evaluations, then reported deat…
Existential Threat Fuels Worldview Defense, but not after Priming Autonomy Orientation
Although mortality salience (MS) typically motivates worldview defensiveness, priming an autonomy/self-determined orientation may attenuate that defensiveness. In Study 1 (n = 156) MS (vs. pain) had higher support for militaristic defense of American interests abroad, unless participants were also primed with autonomy-oriented (vs. controlled) concepts. In Study 2 (n = 205), a pilot survey found participants were strongly aware of and interested …
Anxiety buffer disruption: Worldview threat, death thought accessibility, and worldview defense among low and high posttraumatic stress symptom samples
These findings supported the present hypotheses derived from anxiety buffer disruption theory, are important for understanding the existential dimension of posttraumatic stress, and may have implications for mental health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)
Pushing up daisies: Goal orientations, death awareness, and satisfaction with life
The Influence of Existential Threat and Tolerance Salience on Anti‐Islamic Attitudes in American Politics
Fierce public discussion has centered on anti‐Islamic attitudes and tolerance in America and the West more broadly. The present research explored whether the awareness of mortality (a common theme in politics, e.g., war/terrorism, health care, abortion, and so on) and tolerance salience might influence (1) the endorsement of anti‐Islamic attitudes in American politics and (2) political orientation. Study 1 (n = 79) was conducted in lab and Study …
Guest editors' foreword: On the importance of integrating terror management and psychology of religion
The impact of mortality awareness on meaning in life among Christians and atheists
Research derived from terror management theory suggests that reliance on a terror-managing set of beliefs when reminded of death can influence one’s perception of meaning in life. The present research builds on prior work suggesting that religious concepts help to manage the awareness of death, and expands on that work to explore the challenges of religious and atheistic terror management. It was hypothesized that religious participants would be …
Self-affirmation attenuates death-thought accessibility after mortality salience, but not among a high post-traumatic stress sample
The present findings support of a foundational concept of ABDT, and point to new insights about the nature of PTSD and its treatment, because failure to manage death awareness is known to cause anxiety and exacerbate anxiety-related disorders (e.g., PTSD). (PsycINFO Database Record
Nostalgia fosters self-continuity: Uncovering the mechanism (social connectedness) and consequence (eudaimonic well-being)
Nostalgia, a sentimental longing for one's past, is an emotion that arises from self-relevant and social memories. Nostalgia functions, in part, to foster self-continuity, that is, a sense of connection between one's past and one's present. This article examined, in 6 experiments, how nostalgia fosters self-continuity and the implications of that process for well-being. Nostalgia fosters self-continuity by augmenting social connectedness, that is…
An Appreciative View of the Brighter Side of Terror Management Processes
Physical death is an inevitable part of life. From the perspective of terror management theory (TMT), people's efforts to manage the awareness of death can sometimes have harmful social consequences. However, those negative consequences are merely one side of the existential coin. In considering the other side of the coin, the present article highlights the more beneficial trajectories of the terror management process. For example, the awareness …
When Death is Good for Life: Considering the Positive Trajectories of Terror Management
Research derived from terror management theory (TMT) has shown that people’s efforts to manage the awareness of death often have deleterious consequences for the individual and society. The present article takes a closer look at the conceptual foundations of TMT and considers some of the more beneficial trajectories of the terror management process. The awareness of mortality can motivate people to enhance their physical health and prioritize gro…
Drawing attention to global climate change decreases support for war
Three studies showed that focus on the shared human threat of global climate change can encourage peaceful coexistence and discourage support for war in the face of existential threat. In Study 1, mortality salience (MS) increased Americans ’ support for international peace-building after imagining the consequences of global climate change, but not after imagining a localized catastrophe. Conversely, in Study 2, MS increased Americans ’ support f…
The aftermath of destruction: Images of destroyed buildings increase support for war, dogmatism, and death thought accessibility
Exploring the Existential Function of Religion and Supernatural Agent Beliefs Among Christians, Muslims, Atheists, and Agnostics
Building on research suggesting one primary function of religion is the management of death awareness, the present research explored how supernatural beliefs are influenced by the awareness of death, for whom, and how individuals' extant beliefs determine which god(s), if any, are eligible to fulfill that function. In Study 1, death reminders had no effect among Atheists, but enhanced Christians' religiosity, belief in a higher power, and belief …
Support for diplomacy: Peacemaking and militarism as a unidimensional correlate of social, environmental, and political attitudes
The Support for Diplomacy Scale (SDS) was developed to establish the unidimensional nature of peacemaking and militaristic attitudes. Across 5 studies, all 12 SDS items loaded onto a single factor, with peaceful diplomacy at one pole and militarism at the other. The SDS was associated with authoritarianism (Studies 1-4) and dogmatism (Study 4), as well as measures of religious fundamentalism, immigration attitudes, universalism, and environmental…
A Terror Management Analysis of the Psychological Functions of Religion
From a terror management theory (TMT) perspective, religion serves to manage the potential terror engendered by the uniquely human awareness of death by affording a sense of psychological security and hope of immortality. Although secular beliefs can also serve a terror management function, religious beliefs are particularly well suited to mitigate death anxiety because they are all encompassing, rely on concepts that are not easily disconfirmed,…
A Terror Management Analysis of the Psychological Functions of Religion
From a terror management theory (TMT) perspective, religion serves to manage the potential terror engendered by the uniquely human awareness of death by affording a sense of psychological security and hope of immortality. Although secular beliefs can also serve a terror management function, religious beliefs are particularly well suited to mitigate death anxiety because they are all encompassing, rely on concepts that are not easily disconfirmed,…
Exploring the Existential Function of Religion and Supernatural Agent Beliefs Among Christians, Muslims, Atheists, and Agnostics
Building on research suggesting one primary function of religion is the management of death awareness, the present research explored how supernatural beliefs are influenced by the awareness of death, for whom, and how individuals' extant beliefs determine which god(s), if any, are eligible to fulfill that function. In Study 1, death reminders had no effect among Atheists, but enhanced Christians' religiosity, belief in a higher power, and belief …
The aftermath of destruction: Images of destroyed buildings increase support for war, dogmatism, and death thought accessibility
The Influence of Existential Threat and Tolerance Salience on Anti‐Islamic Attitudes in American Politics
Fierce public discussion has centered on anti‐Islamic attitudes and tolerance in America and the West more broadly. The present research explored whether the awareness of mortality (a common theme in politics, e.g., war/terrorism, health care, abortion, and so on) and tolerance salience might influence (1) the endorsement of anti‐Islamic attitudes in American politics and (2) political orientation. Study 1 (n = 79) was conducted in lab and Study …
Divergent effects of social media use on meaning in life via loneliness and existential isolation during the coronavirus pandemic
Stay-at-home orders issued to combat the growing number of infections during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 had many psychological consequences for people including elevated stress, anxiety, and difficulty maintaining meaning in their lives. The present studies utilized cross-sectional designs and were conducted to better understand how social media usage related to people's subjective isolation (i.e., social loneliness, emotional loneliness, a…
Pushing up daisies: Goal orientations, death awareness, and satisfaction with life
Support for diplomacy: Peacemaking and militarism as a unidimensional correlate of social, environmental, and political attitudes
The Support for Diplomacy Scale (SDS) was developed to establish the unidimensional nature of peacemaking and militaristic attitudes. Across 5 studies, all 12 SDS items loaded onto a single factor, with peaceful diplomacy at one pole and militarism at the other. The SDS was associated with authoritarianism (Studies 1-4) and dogmatism (Study 4), as well as measures of religious fundamentalism, immigration attitudes, universalism, and environmental…
The Existential Quest: Doubt, Openness, and the Exploration of Religious Uncertainty
Terror management theory suggests people can manage existential concerns through faith in their cultural systems, including religious beliefs. It is not clear, however, how people with a religious “quest” orientation manage such existential concerns. The present research explored the intersection between existential concern and religious quest. Quest individuals experience doubt, which comes at the cost of greater death-related anxieties (Study 1…
An Appreciative View of the Brighter Side of Terror Management Processes
Physical death is an inevitable part of life. From the perspective of terror management theory (TMT), people's efforts to manage the awareness of death can sometimes have harmful social consequences. However, those negative consequences are merely one side of the existential coin. In considering the other side of the coin, the present article highlights the more beneficial trajectories of the terror management process. For example, the awareness …
Drawing attention to global climate change decreases support for war
Three studies showed that focus on the shared human threat of global climate change can encourage peaceful coexistence and discourage support for war in the face of existential threat. In Study 1, mortality salience (MS) increased Americans ’ support for international peace-building after imagining the consequences of global climate change, but not after imagining a localized catastrophe. Conversely, in Study 2, MS increased Americans ’ support f…
The captain of my soul: Self-determination and need-satisfaction help manage death-related cognition, anxiety, and well-being
The present research tested the idea that a self-determined orientation may help people manage death-related thoughts and anxieties, and mitigate the effects of death awareness on well-being. Seven studies ( N = 3,331), using a diversity of measures and manipulations, were consistent with that idea. First, mortality salience (vs. other topic primes) increased death-thought accessibility, but not if participants had high need-satisfaction (Study 1…
Pain-related disability, PTSD symptoms, and mood among a comorbid chronic pain and PTSD sample prior to and during the Covid-19 pandemic
There is a knowledge gap when treating comorbid chronic pain and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing this gap, 169 individuals (57.4% female), aged 39.8 years were recruited based on levels of pain-related disability and PTSD symptoms. Participants were assessed prior to, and during, the COVID-19 pandemic. Improvements in pain-related disability were marginally attenuated for the comorbid group, compared …
A Terror Management Analysis of the Psychological Functions of Religion
From a terror management theory (TMT) perspective, religion serves to manage the potential terror engendered by the uniquely human awareness of death by affording a sense of psychological security and hope of immortality. Although secular beliefs can also serve a terror management function, religious beliefs are particularly well suited to mitigate death anxiety because they are all encompassing, rely on concepts that are not easily disconfirmed,…
Support for diplomacy: Peacemaking and militarism as a unidimensional correlate of social, environmental, and political attitudes
The Support for Diplomacy Scale (SDS) was developed to establish the unidimensional nature of peacemaking and militaristic attitudes. Across 5 studies, all 12 SDS items loaded onto a single factor, with peaceful diplomacy at one pole and militarism at the other. The SDS was associated with authoritarianism (Studies 1-4) and dogmatism (Study 4), as well as measures of religious fundamentalism, immigration attitudes, universalism, and environmental…
When Death is Good for Life: Considering the Positive Trajectories of Terror Management
Research derived from terror management theory (TMT) has shown that people’s efforts to manage the awareness of death often have deleterious consequences for the individual and society. The present article takes a closer look at the conceptual foundations of TMT and considers some of the more beneficial trajectories of the terror management process. The awareness of mortality can motivate people to enhance their physical health and prioritize gro…
Drawing attention to global climate change decreases support for war
Three studies showed that focus on the shared human threat of global climate change can encourage peaceful coexistence and discourage support for war in the face of existential threat. In Study 1, mortality salience (MS) increased Americans ’ support for international peace-building after imagining the consequences of global climate change, but not after imagining a localized catastrophe. Conversely, in Study 2, MS increased Americans ’ support f…
The aftermath of destruction: Images of destroyed buildings increase support for war, dogmatism, and death thought accessibility
Exploring the Existential Function of Religion and Supernatural Agent Beliefs Among Christians, Muslims, Atheists, and Agnostics
Building on research suggesting one primary function of religion is the management of death awareness, the present research explored how supernatural beliefs are influenced by the awareness of death, for whom, and how individuals' extant beliefs determine which god(s), if any, are eligible to fulfill that function. In Study 1, death reminders had no effect among Atheists, but enhanced Christians' religiosity, belief in a higher power, and belief …
An Appreciative View of the Brighter Side of Terror Management Processes
Physical death is an inevitable part of life. From the perspective of terror management theory (TMT), people's efforts to manage the awareness of death can sometimes have harmful social consequences. However, those negative consequences are merely one side of the existential coin. In considering the other side of the coin, the present article highlights the more beneficial trajectories of the terror management process. For example, the awareness …
Nostalgia fosters self-continuity: Uncovering the mechanism (social connectedness) and consequence (eudaimonic well-being)
Nostalgia, a sentimental longing for one's past, is an emotion that arises from self-relevant and social memories. Nostalgia functions, in part, to foster self-continuity, that is, a sense of connection between one's past and one's present. This article examined, in 6 experiments, how nostalgia fosters self-continuity and the implications of that process for well-being. Nostalgia fosters self-continuity by augmenting social connectedness, that is…
Self-affirmation attenuates death-thought accessibility after mortality salience, but not among a high post-traumatic stress sample
The present findings support of a foundational concept of ABDT, and point to new insights about the nature of PTSD and its treatment, because failure to manage death awareness is known to cause anxiety and exacerbate anxiety-related disorders (e.g., PTSD). (PsycINFO Database Record
Guest editors' foreword: On the importance of integrating terror management and psychology of religion
The impact of mortality awareness on meaning in life among Christians and atheists
Research derived from terror management theory suggests that reliance on a terror-managing set of beliefs when reminded of death can influence one’s perception of meaning in life. The present research builds on prior work suggesting that religious concepts help to manage the awareness of death, and expands on that work to explore the challenges of religious and atheistic terror management. It was hypothesized that religious participants would be …
Anxiety buffer disruption: Worldview threat, death thought accessibility, and worldview defense among low and high posttraumatic stress symptom samples
These findings supported the present hypotheses derived from anxiety buffer disruption theory, are important for understanding the existential dimension of posttraumatic stress, and may have implications for mental health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)
Pushing up daisies: Goal orientations, death awareness, and satisfaction with life
The Influence of Existential Threat and Tolerance Salience on Anti‐Islamic Attitudes in American Politics
Fierce public discussion has centered on anti‐Islamic attitudes and tolerance in America and the West more broadly. The present research explored whether the awareness of mortality (a common theme in politics, e.g., war/terrorism, health care, abortion, and so on) and tolerance salience might influence (1) the endorsement of anti‐Islamic attitudes in American politics and (2) political orientation. Study 1 (n = 79) was conducted in lab and Study …
Anxiety Buffer Disruption: Self-Evaluation, Death Anxiety, and Stressor Appraisals Among Low and High Posttraumatic Stress Symptom Samples
Objective: Research driven by terror management theory suggests sociocultural anxiety-buffer systems typically protect against existential anxiety, whereas anxiety buffer disruption theory suggests traumatic experiences may disrupt that process. Method: Following posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptom screening (n = 4097), individuals with low (n = 149) and high (n = 120) PTS engaged in either negative or positive self-evaluations, then reported deat…
Existential Threat Fuels Worldview Defense, but not after Priming Autonomy Orientation
Although mortality salience (MS) typically motivates worldview defensiveness, priming an autonomy/self-determined orientation may attenuate that defensiveness. In Study 1 (n = 156) MS (vs. pain) had higher support for militaristic defense of American interests abroad, unless participants were also primed with autonomy-oriented (vs. controlled) concepts. In Study 2 (n = 205), a pilot survey found participants were strongly aware of and interested …
The Existential Quest: Doubt, Openness, and the Exploration of Religious Uncertainty
Terror management theory suggests people can manage existential concerns through faith in their cultural systems, including religious beliefs. It is not clear, however, how people with a religious “quest” orientation manage such existential concerns. The present research explored the intersection between existential concern and religious quest. Quest individuals experience doubt, which comes at the cost of greater death-related anxieties (Study 1…
Pain-related disability, PTSD symptoms, and mood among a comorbid chronic pain and PTSD sample prior to and during the Covid-19 pandemic
There is a knowledge gap when treating comorbid chronic pain and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing this gap, 169 individuals (57.4% female), aged 39.8 years were recruited based on levels of pain-related disability and PTSD symptoms. Participants were assessed prior to, and during, the COVID-19 pandemic. Improvements in pain-related disability were marginally attenuated for the comorbid group, compared …
Divergent effects of social media use on meaning in life via loneliness and existential isolation during the coronavirus pandemic
Stay-at-home orders issued to combat the growing number of infections during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 had many psychological consequences for people including elevated stress, anxiety, and difficulty maintaining meaning in their lives. The present studies utilized cross-sectional designs and were conducted to better understand how social media usage related to people's subjective isolation (i.e., social loneliness, emotional loneliness, a…
The captain of my soul: Self-determination and need-satisfaction help manage death-related cognition, anxiety, and well-being
The present research tested the idea that a self-determined orientation may help people manage death-related thoughts and anxieties, and mitigate the effects of death awareness on well-being. Seven studies ( N = 3,331), using a diversity of measures and manipulations, were consistent with that idea. First, mortality salience (vs. other topic primes) increased death-thought accessibility, but not if participants had high need-satisfaction (Study 1…
Existential distress among individuals with co-occurring chronic pain and PTSD
The present study provides evidence that existential distress may be an important factor among individuals with co-occurring chronic pain and PTSD. Moreover, PTSD may be more strongly associated with existential distress compared with chronic pain. Results show that it may be beneficial to focus on existential distress when treating co-occurring chronic pain and PTSD. More research is needed to validate these results and examine existential distr…
Race, religion, and inclusive healthcare: Exploring intersections between racial and spiritual identities among older adults
Attitudes toward healthcare are often shaped by religious and spiritual beliefs, including among older adults from racial and ethnic minority communities. Many rely on faith to navigate aging, influencing how they interpret health, illness, and interactions with medicine. Guided by an intersectional framework, this qualitative study explores how race, religion, spirituality, age, and healthcare experiences intersect among older adults from racial…
Psychology (19 works) · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion (17 works) · Social Psychology (16 works) · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health (15 works) · Terror management theory (12 works) · Social Psychology (11 works) · Mortality salience (10 works) · Existentialism (8 works) · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology (8 works) · Political science (7 works)