Death anxiety during warfare: Roles of meaning, cognitive age, and uncertainty intolerance

This study explored how meaning in life relates to death and dying anxiety among Israeli civilians during wartime by examining the mediating roles of cognitive age perception and intolerance of uncertainty. A sample of 400 adults (50.5% women; M age 47.76 years) completed measures of death anxiety, exposure to events related to the October 7th massacre, meaning, cognitive age, and uncertainty tolerance. Findings showed that cognitive age perception did not significantly mediate the association between meaning and anxiety. Conversely, intolerance of uncertainty significantly mediated this link. A serial pathway emerged: lower meaning in life associated with greater perceived cognitive aging, which predicted higher intolerance of uncertainty, followed by greater death and dying anxiety. These findings underscore the central role of intolerance of uncertainty in shaping death-related distress during armed conflict. Interventions that strengthen existential meaning and improve tolerance of uncertainty may help reduce death and dying anxiety in high-threat contexts.