Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41954224›Full record

ArticleBritish journal of health psychology2026

Death anxiety predicts fear of progression in people with rheumatic conditions.

Bethany Richmond, Louise Sharpe, Jack B Boyse, Joanne Shaw, Rachel E Menzies

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in British journal of health psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Bethany RichmondSchool of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0642-7438
Louise SharpeSchool of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8790-6272
Jack B BoyseSchool of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1849-4312
Joanne ShawSchool of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9543-7066
Rachel E MenziesSchool of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6905-4873

Funding

Dorothy Reavley Tinsley Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRheumatic diseases often have a progressive course and place individuals at increased risk of mortality. Despite this, little research has investigated the relationship between death anxiety and fears about disease progression (FoP), and how these might relate to health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes. This study investigated the relationship between death anxiety, FoP and HRQoL.

designA cross-sectional design with a longitudinal follow-up at 3 months.

methodsA total of 145 participants with at least one rheumatic condition were recruited through Prolific. They completed online questionnaires assessing FoP, death anxiety, HRQoL, pain and psychological distress. They also completed an additional measure of FoP 3 months later. A series of regression analyses were conducted to examine whether death anxiety predicted unique variance in FoP cross-sectionally, as well as three months later. We also investigated whether death anxiety and FoP were associated with HRQoL after controlling for pain, demographics and psychological distress.

resultsDeath anxiety contributed unique variance to FoP, even when controlling for other variables of interest, and continued to predict FoP 3 months later. Surprisingly, neither death anxiety nor fear of progression were found to predict unique variance in psychological or physical HRQoL.

conclusionsThese results indicate that death anxiety plays an important role in FoP. As such, death anxiety appears to be a particularly pertinent factor in the experience of FoP for people with rheumatic conditions that deserves further investigation. However, quality of life outcomes may be robust to the impact of death anxiety and FoP.

Indexed as

AnxietyAttitude to DeathDisease ProgressionFearQuality of LifeRheumatic DiseasesAdultAgedCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedSurveys and Questionnairesanxietydepressionfear of progressionpsychosocial outcomesquality of liferheumatic disease

Identifiers

PMID41954224
PMCPMC13063798

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.