Association between Resilience, Cognitive Emotion Regulation, and Death Anxiety among Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases

The prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is increasing in India, causing significant problems for the healthcare system. Death anxiety is a psychological phenomenon that can be stressful for CVD patients and their families. To combat death anxiety with effective strategies, it is crucial to understand the role of resilience and cognitive emotion regulation of CVD patients. So, the aim of the current study was to investigate the association between resilience, cognitive emotion regulation, and death anxiety in patients with CVD. 168 CVD patients were selected from the Salem district of Tamil Nadu, India through stratified random sampling. Data was collected with the help of Resilience Scale by Wagnild and Young (1993), Cognitive Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) by Garnefski et al., (2002), and Death Anxiety Scale by Templer (1970). Results revealed that resilience had a significant negative relationship with death anxiety. Lower self-blame and rumination, as well as greater acceptance, refocus on planning, positive refocusing, and positive appraisal were related to fewer symptoms of death anxiety. The findings suggested that death anxiety could be reduced by improving resilience, increasing acceptance and positive refocusing, and lowering self-blame and rumination.