Background and Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with a significant increase in anxiety and psychological distress across the population. Although mindfulness and coping strategies can reduce stress and negative emotions, death anxiety is often overlooked as one of the essential psychological consequences of this pandemic. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between death anxiety and safe behaviors in employees of an agricultural and livestock company in Yasuj, Iran, in 2022.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022. Data collection tools included demographic questionnaires, the Templar Death Anxiety Scale, and the Safe Behaviors Questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using SPSS (version 26) through Pearson correlation, ANOVA, and univariate and multivariate regression.
Results: The mean (±SD) age and work experience of the participants were 37.9 ± 9.45 and 9.65 ± 7 years, respectively. The mean (±SD) scores for death anxiety and safety behaviors were 56 ± 7.95 and 4.06 ± 0.47, respectively. Multivariate regression analysis indicated that safety behaviors, age, work experience, frequency of COVID-19 infection, and the death of a first-degree relative collectively explained 42% of the variance in death anxiety (adjusted R²=0.42).
Conclusion: Death anxiety levels among employees were high during the COVID-19 pandemic. Employees who reported safer behaviors, greater age, and work experience, and increased exposure to COVID-19-related stressors experienced higher levels of death anxiety. These findings underscore the need for targeted psychological interventions alongside the promotion of safety behaviors in workplace settings.