Psychological Needs and Addiction’s Severity on Death Anxiety Among Clients With Substance Use Disorders

Abstract

Background: The severity of addiction can also contribute to a heightened sense of loss of control, deteriorating health, and increased awareness of the risks associated with death, potentially leading to elevated levels of death anxiety.

Aim: This study aimed to explore the relationship between psychological needs, addiction severity, and death anxiety among individuals with substance use disorders. Methods:  A correlational design was used, and the sample consisted of 110 male participants selected using convenience sampling from the Drug and Psychotropic Substance Addiction Rehabilitation Center in Najaf Governorate. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire that included measures of psychological needs, addiction severity, and death anxiety. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 23, employing descriptive statistics, correlation coefficients, and one-way ANOVA.

Result: The results showed that most dimensions of psychological needs were not significantly associated with death anxiety, with the exception of self-actualization, which showed a statistically significant moderate correlation. Addiction severity also showed a weak correlation with death anxiety; however, one-way ANOVA revealed a significant effect of addiction severity on death anxiety with a moderate effect size. Furthermore, the results indicated that the majority of participants experienced moderate levels of both addiction severity and death anxiety.

Conclusion: Addiction severity is a more significant factor in explaining death anxiety than psychological needs, underscoring the importance of focusing on reducing addiction severity within treatment programs to alleviate death-related anxiety and improve mental health in this population.