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Updated: Jan 3, 2026

Setup and Execution of the Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice Death Notification Curriculum
Published on: August 5, 2020
Generativity and other buffers of death awareness in first responders
David J Herr1, Erin M Buchanan2
1Psychology Department, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO, USA.
Abstract:
Background and Objectives: Anxiety buffer disruption theory (ABDT) predicts that posttraumatic stress reactions occur when buffers of awareness of death, such as meaning in life, self-esteem, and social intimacy, fail to suppress overwhelming death-anxiety. In this study, we hypothesized that generativity may also serve as an effective buffer of awareness of death and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).Design: The present study investigated the presence of anxiety buffering disruption in first responders with a spectrum of posttraumatic stress via a mediation path model of self-report measures of PTSD symptoms, anxiety buffer variables, and death-thought accessibility.Methods: To investigate the role of anxiety buffering in PTSD, a sample of 986 first responders completed self-report measures of PTSD symptoms and anxiety buffer variables in randomized order, and a death-thought accessibility measure following random assignment to mortality salience (n = 290) or control (n = 302) conditioning.Results and Conclusion: Results of structural equation modeling indicated PTSD symptoms have a small relation to increased awareness of death whereas anxiety buffering variables did not mediate the relation between PTSD symptoms and awareness of death. Nonetheless, generativity and meaning in life, self-esteem, and social support were significant predictors of lower levels of PTSD.
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