Relationship between Anxiety Sensitivity, Death Anxiety, and Resilience in the Age of Pandemics and Lifelong Learning

Abstract

Epidemics bring along many pathologies and become a threat for ill individuals because of an outbreak and those exposed to the outbreak process. Many negative psychological and educational results can be encountered following the COVID-19 process when previous studies were considered together with these threats. In this context, this research aimed to examine the effect of the COVID-19 on anxiety sensitivity, death anxiety, and resilience. In addition, examining anxiety sensitivity in terms of some personal variables (gender, physical health, marital status, and working status). The study has been conducted on a relational survey method. The participants consisted of 955 individuals aged between 18-68, of which 281 were males, and 662 were females. In this study, Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3, Death Anxiety Scale, and Brief Resilience Scale were used to collect data. The data were analyzed with Pearson correlation coefficient, regression, independent samples t-test, and ANOVA. The result of analyses showed a positive correlation between anxiety sensitivity and death anxiety; however, there is a negative correlation between resilience and anxiety sensitivity. Furthermore, resilience and anxiety sensitivity differed significantly according to gender, marital status, and working status (student, unemployed, employed, retired); however, the level of death anxiety did not differ according to gender and marital status. Anxiety sensitivity, death anxiety, and resilience did not differ significantly in terms of physical health. When considering the finding obtained in the present study, individuals with high anxiety sensitivity levels were affected more by the COVID -19 pandemic, but those with high resilience levels were affected less.