Conceptual analysis of death anxiety in cancer patients
LAN Yumeng
ZHONG Juanping
SHI Jing
CHEN Haixia
ZHAO Zerun
WANG Xinglei
DOU Xinman
Abstract：Objective:To analyze and clarify the conceptual connotation of death anxiety in cancer patients,and to provide reference for medical staff to identify and intervene the death anxiety in cancer patients.Methods:A systematic search was conducted on databases including CNKI,WanFang database,VIP,SinoMed,PubMed,Web of Science,Scopus,EMbase,psycINFO,and CINAHL.Literatures were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria,and the concept of death anxiety was analyzed by using Walker and Avant conceptual analysis.Results:A total of 35 articles were included to summarize the concept of death anxiety.Its conceptual attributes were determined to include self-esteem,psychological depression,disease complexity,and social coping styles.Pre-factors included demographic factors,disease factors,psychological factors,and social support.The consequences included the impact on the patient's psychological,physiological,and social aspects.Conclusions:The connotation of death anxiety is complex and influenced by multiple factors,which could seriously affect the quality of life of cancer patients.Clinical medical staff should improve the recognition rate of death anxiety in cancer patients,make proactive nursing interventions,and reduce the adverse effects of death anxiety on patients.
Keywords：cancer patientsdeath anxietyconceptual analysissocial support
Publication Date：2026-04-10
Online Publishing Date：2026-03-31(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：5( 1136-1140 )