The Role of Covid-19, Seclusion & its Impact on Death Anxiety & Cognitive Emotion Regulation Among Adults

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on death anxiety and cognitive-emotional regulation among adults in the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR). The study encompassed a sample of 90 adults, categorized into three distinct groups based on their experiences with COVID-19: a control group, a first experimental group, and a second experimental group. A purposive non-probability sampling method was employed to ensure the accurate representation of each group, considering participants’ COVID-19 infection status and loss of loved ones due to the virus. The study utilized the Templer Death Anxiety Scale (TDAS) and the Cognitive Emotional Regulation Questionnaire Short Form (CERQ-short) to measure death anxiety and cognitive-emotional regulation, respectively. Results of the ANOVA analysis indicated no statistically significant differences in death anxiety scores among the three groups, despite a violation of the homogeneity of variances assumption. Additionally, correlational analysis revealed varying strengths of correlations between death anxiety scores and psychological dimensions across the three stages represented by DAS scores, providing insights into the nuanced dynamics of loss and death anxiety. These findings are further discussed in the subsequent sections, shedding light on the psychological impacts of COVID-19 and suggesting implications for future research and intervention strategies.