Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This study explores the relationship between existential anxiety and mental health among Iranian university students, with a specific focus on three dimensions of existential anxiety: death, meaninglessness, and guilt. Drawing on a sample of 256 students aged 18 to 30, the research employed quantitative analyses to assess how these existential components relate to emotional, psychological, and social well-being. The study’s tools included the existential anxiety and the Mental Health Questionnaire. Results revealed a strong negative correlation between existential anxiety and mental health, with meaninglessness emerging as the most significant predictor. Regression analyses confirmed that each subcomponent independently contributed to reduced well-being, with distinct patterns across mental health dimensions. These findings underscore the multidimensional nature of existential anxiety and its place within broader existential moods such as guilt and meaninglessness. By examining these dynamics in a non-Western, non-clinical population, the study extends cross-cultural understanding in humanistic and existential psychology and highlights meaning as a vital determinant of mental health.
Source: Journal of Humanistic Psychology
Institutions: Istanbul University, University of Guilan, Bu-Ali Sina University
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7127988239