The relationship between Covid-19-induced death thoughts and depression during a national lockdown
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4227359 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Samuel Fairlamb (0000-0002-5974-2282, Royal Holloway University of London) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue | 12 |
| Pages | 2770-2776 |
| Publication date | 2022-10-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Health Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1359-1053 • E-ISSN: 1461-7277 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/13591053211067102 |
| PMID | 34964383 |
| OpenAlex | W4200186980 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 30 |
Evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased rates of depression worldwide. Many factors have been identified to relate to this increase depression, but according to Terror Management Theory, the heightened awareness of death during the pandemic has the potential to increase depression for those with low self-esteem. This hypothesis was examined in a U.K. sample during the first national lockdown where depression, self-esteem and death-thought accessibility (DTA) were measured, and a COVID Index (COVID-19 cases and deaths on date of participation) was produced. The COVID Index was positively related to DTA. Additionally, DTA mediated the relationship between the COVID Index and depression scores when participants had low levels of self-esteem. These findings suggest that heightened existential concerns may be a neglected factor increasing depression during the pandemic
2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Depression (economics · Disease · Pandemic · Pathology · Psychiatry · Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 · Terror management theory · COVID-19 and Mental Health · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Medicine · Psychology · Clinical Psychology · Internal Medicine · Social Psychology
Society and the Adolescent Self-Image
Prevalence of depression during the Covid-19 outbreak
Health anxiety, cyberchondria, and coping in the current Covid-19 pandemic
Thirty Years of Terror Management Theory
A dual-process model of defense against conscious and unconscious death-related thoughts
Mental health problems and social media exposure during Covid-19 outbreak
Depression and Anxiety During the Covid‐19 Pandemic in an Urban, Low‐Income Public University Sample
The Causes and Consequences of a Need for Self-Esteem
The structure of negative emotional states
Social Identity Reduces Depression by Fostering Positive Attributions
Determining depression and related factors in a society affected by Covid-19 pandemic
The outbreak of Covid-19 coronavirus and its impact on global mental health
Behavioral limitations of individuals for coping with Covid-19
Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect
Death thoughts predict increased depression for those with low self-worth
Terror Management Theory and the Covid-19 Pandemic
Evidence for the DTA hypothesis II
How terrorism news reports increase prejudice against outgroups
Role of consciousness and accessibility of death-related thoughts in mortality salience effects
Why bother? Death, failure, and fatalistic withdrawal from life
Adjusting to death
Two Decades of Terror Management Theory
| Citations per year | 1.67 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2023 - 2025 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |