Love, Death, and Reason for Living: Positive Romantic Relationships Reduce Death Anxiety Through Meaning in Life Among Females

Shiyun Shen, Shijin Sun, Wei Wei, Zhechen Wang, School of Social Development and Public Policy, Fudan University, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

Published online on May 16, 2026

Abstract

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Ahead of Print.
While the buffering effect of romantic relationships on existential anxiety has been proposed within terror management theoretical framework, the specific mechanisms through which such relationships mitigate death anxiety remains underexplored. Across ...