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Introduction: Meaning in life by improving and affecting people's coping in the face of life crises, causes self-compassion and effective confrontation with stressors such as death anxiety. The present study aimed to formulate a structural model for predicting death anxiety based on meaning in life with the mediation of self-compassion in middle-aged employees of Islamic Azad University Science and Research Branch.
Methods: The research method was descriptive correlation type. The statistical population of this research was made up 50 to 65-year-old employees of Islamic Azad University Science and Research Branch in 2023-2024, from whom 308 were selected in a non-random and convenience method. The research instruments included demographic questionnaire, "Templer Death Anxiety Scale", "Meaning in Life Questionnaire" and "Self-Compassion Scale". The validity of the instruments was measured using content validity using a qualitative method and reliability using the internal consistency method by calculating Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS.26 and AMOS.24.
Results: Meaning in life negatively and significantly predicts death anxiety in middle-aged employees at the 0.01 level. Self-compassion negatively and significantly predicts death anxiety in middle-aged employees at the 0.01 level. Meaning in life negatively and significantly predicts death anxiety in middle-aged employees with the mediation of self-compassion at the 0.01 level.
Conclusions: Meaning in life predicts death anxiety in middle-aged employees through the mediation of self-compassion. Therefore, it is suggested that health counselors and psychologists reduce their death anxiety by holding meaning therapy and self-compassion courses for middle-aged employees.