SynthesisBMC psychology2026
Psychological interventions to alleviate death anxiety among patients with cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies.
Synthesis in BMC 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.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveDeath anxiety is a common psychological distress in cancer patients and is associated with reduced quality of life. However, the efficacy of current psychological interventions for relieving this symptom remains unclear. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of psychological interventions in alleviating death anxiety among cancer patients and explore key effective intervention components.
methodsA systematic review of randomized controlledstudies. DATA SOURCES: Eight databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP) were searched from inception to February 28, 2025. The Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 (RoB 2.0) tool was used to assess the risk of bias in the included studies.
resultsNine papers involving 1,024 cancer patients were included. According to intervention components, the studies were divided into two categories: (1) Exploration of Life Meaning Interventions (ELMI) and (2) Cognitive Restructuring Interventions (CRI). Meta-analysis showed ELMI had a statistically significant but modest effects on death anxiety (SMD: - 0.17, 95% CI: (-0.32, - 0.01), P = 0.03). Narrative synthesis suggested that CRI may alleviate death anxiety among cancer patients. GRADE assessment rated the evidence for death anxiety as very low.
conclusionsThe effect of psychological interventions on alleviating death anxiety in cancer patients remains inconclusive. ELMI showed a statistically significant but modest effect, while evidence for CRI was inconsistent. Further high-quality studies with larger samples, standardized protocols, and longer follow-up are needed to explore combined or personalized intervention strategies.
trial registrationThe study protocol for this systematic review has been registered in PROSPERO(CRD420251169425).
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.