Is The Death Anxiety of College Students Serious? ------the Effects of Personality Traits and Negative Coping

To study the characteristics of death anxiety, coping strategies and personality traits in college students, and analyze the relationship among the 3 variables. 553 college students were randomly selected from Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan College of Technology, and Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University. They were assessed with Chinese Version of Templer-Death Anxiety Scale (CT-DAS), Simplified Coping Strategy Questionnaire (SCSQ), and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised Short Scale in Chinese (EPQ-RSC). Results (1) The scores of CT-DAS, positive coping, negative coping, psychoticism, neuroticism, extroversion, and honesty were (45.32±5.76), (22.09±5.92), (10.47±4.35), (19.75±3.30), (17.73±3.37), (16.73±3.41), (17.07±2.18), respectively. (2) There was a pairwise correlation among the total score of CT- DAS, negative coping and neuroticism (r = 0.290, 0.084, 0.280, P < 0.05), as well as a pairwise correlation among the score of CT-DAS, negative coping and extroversion (r = 0.290, -0.126, -0.149, P < 0.01). (3) Ihe score of negative coping had a partly mediating effect in the relationship between the score of neuroticism and CT-DAS in college students, with the mediation effect accounting for 7.5% of total effect. Also, the score of negative coping had a complete mediating effect in the relationship between the score of extroversion and CT-DAS in the college students, with the mediation effect accounting for 29.7% of the total effect. Conclusions Personality traits not only have direct roles on the death anxiety in the undergraduates, but also indirectly affect it through negative coping.