SavedAdd your journal

Journals / Spiritual Psychology and Counseling / 2026 / Volume: 11 Issue: 3

Meaning in the Face of Uncertainty: Spiritual Orientation and Death Anxiety Among Parents of Children with Developmental Disabilities

Mahir Uğurlu(BARTIN ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0003-4005-4882
Sedat Turgut(BARTIN ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0002-6612-9320
Pages
—
Publication Date
2026-10-03
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The findings indicated that spiritual orientation was negatively associated with stress, anxiety, and death anxiety, whereas stress and anxiety were positively associated with death anxiety.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:This study aimed to investigate the serial mediating roles of stress and anxiety in the relationship between spiritual orientation and death anxiety among parents of children with developmental disabilities.
📊
Key Findings & Data:A total of 361 parents participated in the study.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:The findings indicated that spiritual orientation was negatively associated with stress, anxiety, and death anxiety, whereas stress and anxiety were positively associated with death anxiety.
🔬Design:Modeling & Simulation
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Spiritual orientation · Death anxiety · Developmental disabilities

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the serial mediating roles of stress and anxiety in the relationship between spiritual orientation and death anxiety among parents of children with developmental disabilities. A total of 361 parents participated in the study. Data were collected using the Spiritual Orientation Scale, the Turkish Death Anxiety Scale, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21. Regression-based serial mediation analysis was conducted using Hayes’ PROCESS macro (Version 4.2). The findings indicated that spiritual orientation was negatively associated with stress, anxiety, and death anxiety, whereas stress and anxiety were positively associated with death anxiety. Furthermore, stress and anxiety significantly mediated the relationship between spiritual orientation and death anxiety, both independently and sequentially. These findings suggest that spiritual orientation may function as a protective psychological resource in this population. The proposed model explained a substantial proportion of variance in death anxiety. These findings have implications for psychological support and family intervention programs developed for parents of children with developmental disabilities.

🔖

Cite This Article

Uğurlu, M., Turgut, S., *, M. U. (2026). Meaning in the Face of Uncertainty: Spiritual Orientation and Death Anxiety Among Parents of Children with Developmental Disabilities. Spiritual Psychology and Counseling, Volume: 11 Issue: 3. https://doi.org/10.37898/spiritualpc.1976422

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (54)

  1. Alrahili, N. (2023). Burnout and anxiety among parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders: A cross-sectional study in Saudi Arabia. Middle East Current Psychiatry, 30(1), Article 58. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43045-023-00331-3
  2. American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787
  3. Barroso, N. E., Mendez, L., Graziano, P. A., & Bagner, D. M. (2018). Parenting stress through the lens of different clinical groups: A systematic review & meta-analysis. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 46(3), 449–461. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-017-0313-6
  4. Bujnowska, A. M., Rodríguez, C., García, T., Areces, D., & Marsh, N. V. (2019). Parenting and future anxiety: The impact of having a child with developmental disabilities. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(4), Article 668. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16040668
  5. Burke, M. M., & Hodapp, R. M. (2016). The nature, correlates, and conditions of parental advocacy in special education. Exceptionality, 24(3), 137–150. https://doi.org/10.1080/09362835.2015.1064412
  6. Caicedo, C. (2014). Families with special needs children: Family health, functioning, and care burden. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 20(6), 398–407. https://doi.org/10.1177/1078390314561326
  7. Davis, N. O., & Carter, A. S. (2008). Parenting stress in mothers and fathers of toddlers with autism spectrum disorders: Associations with child characteristics. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38(7), 1278–1291. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-007-0512-z
  8. Demšar, A., & Bakračevič, K. (2023). Depression, anxiety, stress, and coping mechanisms among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 70(6), 994–1007. https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2021.1947474
  9. Exline, J. J., Pargament, K. I., Grubbs, J. B., & Yali, A. M. (2014). The Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale: Development and initial validation. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 6(3), 208–222. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036465
  10. Gardiner, E., & Iarocci, G. (2015). Family quality of life and ASD: The role of child adaptive functioning and behavior problems. Autism Research, 8(2), 199–213. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.1442
  11. Gaspar, C. R., & Sahay, D. (2025). Expanding the concept of parent involvement to special education: Considerations for inclusivity. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 17(3), 423–445. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12634
  12. Gur, A., & Reich, A. (2025). Spirituality-based interventions for parents of children with disabilities: A systematic review. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 12(3), 319–335. https://doi.org/10.1037/scp0000352
  13. Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate data analysis (7th ed.). Pearson.
  14. Hallberg, U., & Klingberg, G. (2023). Children with special needs: An overview of knowledge on disability. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-28513-4
  15. Hayes, A. F. (2022). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
  16. Hayes, S. A., & Watson, S. L. (2013). The impact of parenting stress: A meta-analysis of studies comparing the experience of parenting stress in parents of children with and without autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43(3), 629–642. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1604-y
  17. Heidari Gorji, M. A., Ghorbani Vajargah, P., Salami Kohan, K., Mollaei, A., Falakdami, A., Goudarzian, A. H., Takasi, P., Zeydi, A. E., Osuji, J., Jafaraghaee, F., Taebi, M., & Karkhah, S. (2024). The relationship between spirituality and religiosity with death anxiety among cancer patients: A systematic review. Journal of Religion and Health, 63(5), 3597–3617. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-024-02016-5
  18. Hoyle, J. N., Laditka, J. N., & Laditka, S. B. (2021). Mental health risks of parents of children with developmental disabilities: A nationally representative study in the United States. Disability and Health Journal, 14(2), Article 101020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2020.101020
  19. Hsiao, Y. J. (2018). Parental stress in families of children with disabilities. Intervention in School and Clinic, 53(4), 201–205. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053451217712956
  20. Iverach, L., Menzies, R. G., & Menzies, R. E. (2014). Death anxiety and its role in psychopathology: Reviewing the status of a transdiagnostic construct. Clinical Psychology Review, 34(7), 580–593. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2014.09.002
  21. Jong, J., Ross, R., Philip, T., Chang, S. H., Simons, N., & Halberstadt, J. (2018). The religious correlates of death anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Religion, Brain & Behavior, 8(1), 4–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/2153599X.2016.1238844
  22. Karaca, A., & Konuk Şener, D. (2021). Spirituality as a coping method for mothers of children with developmental disabilities. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 67(2), 112–120. https://doi.org/10.1080/20473869.2019.1603730
  23. Kasapoğlu, F. (2016). Manevi Yönelim Ölçeği’nin geliştirilmesi: Geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması [Development of Spiritual Orientation Scale: The study of validity and reliability]. İnönü Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 16(3), 51–68. https://doi.org/10.17679/iuefd.16360640
  24. Kline, R. B. (2016). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (4th ed.). Guilford Press.
  25. Koenig, H. G. (2012). Religion, spirituality, and health: The research and clinical implications. ISRN Psychiatry, 2012, Article 278730. https://doi.org/10.5402/2012/278730
  26. Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer.
  27. Lee, C. E., & Burke, M. M. (2020). Future planning among families of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities: A systematic review. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 17(2), 94–107. https://doi.org/10.1111/jppi.12324
  28. Lloyd, T. J., & Hastings, R. P. (2009). Hope as a psychological resilience factor in mothers and fathers of children with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 53(12), 957–968. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2788.2009.01206.x
  29. Lovibond, S. H., & Lovibond, P. F. (1995). Manual for the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (2nd ed.). Psychology Foundation of Australia.
  30. Manning, L., Ferris, M., Narvaez Rosario, C., Prues, M., & Bouchard, L. (2019). Spiritual resilience: Understanding the protection and promotion of well-being in the later life. Journal of Religion, Spirituality & Aging, 31(2), 168–186. https://doi.org/10.1080/15528030.2018.1532859
  31. Miodrag, N., & Hodapp, R. M. (2010). Chronic stress and health among parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 23(5), 407–411. https://doi.org/10.1097/YCO.0b013e32833a8796
  32. Mohan, R., & Kulkarni, M. (2018). Resilience in parents of children with intellectual disabilities. Psychology and Developing Societies, 30(1), 19–43. https://doi.org/10.1177/0971333617747321
  33. Neece, C. L., & Chan, N. (2017). The stress of parenting children with developmental disabilities. In K. Deater-Deckard & R. Panneton (Eds.), Parental stress and early child development (pp. 107–124). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55376-4_5
  34. Pandya, A.-K., & Kathuria, T. (2021). Death anxiety, religiosity and culture: Implications for therapeutic process and future research. Religions, 12(1), Article 61. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12010061
  35. Pargament, K. I. (1999). The psychology of religion and spirituality? Yes and no. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 9(1), 3–16. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327582ijpr0901_2
  36. Pargament, K. I., Ano, G. G., & Wachholtz, A. B. (2005). The religious dimension of coping: Advances in theory, research, and practice. In R. F. Paloutzian & C. L. Park (Eds.), Handbook of the psychology of religion and spirituality (pp. 479–495). Guilford Press.
  37. Park, C. L. (2010). Making sense of the meaning literature: An integrative review of meaning making and its effects on adjustment to stressful life events. Psychological Bulletin, 136(2), 257–301. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018301
  38. Peer, J. W., & Hillman, S. B. (2014). Stress and resilience for parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities: A review of key factors and recommendations for practitioners. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 11(2), 92–98. https://doi.org/10.1111/jppi.12072
  39. Poston, D. J., & Turnbull, A. P. (2004). Role of spirituality and religion in family quality of life for families of children with disabilities. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 39(2), 95–108. https://doi.org/10.1177/215416470403900203
  40. Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2008). Contemporary approaches to assessing mediation in communication research. In A. F. Hayes, M. D. Slater, & L. B. Snyder (Eds.), The Sage sourcebook of advanced data analysis methods for communication research (pp. 13–54). Sage. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452272054.n2
  41. Pryce, L., Tweed, A., Hilton, A., & Priest, H. M. (2017). Tolerating uncertainty: Perceptions of the future for ageing parent carers and their adult children with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 30(1), 84–96. https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.12221
  42. Quevedo-Blasco, R., Díaz-Román, A., & Vega-García, A. (2024). Death anxiety in caregivers of chronic patients. Healthcare, 12(1), Article 107. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12010107
  43. Rababa, M., Hayajneh, A. A., & Bani-Iss, W. (2021). Association of death anxiety with spiritual well-being and religious coping in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Religion and Health, 60(1), 50–63. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-020-01129-x
  44. Rasmussen, C. H., & Johnson, M. E. (1994). Spirituality and religiosity: Relative relationships to death anxiety. OMEGA—Journal of Death and Dying, 29(4), 313–318. https://doi.org/10.2190/D1M9-3W6J-FY33-G3HQ
  45. Sarıçam, H. (2018). The psychometric properties of Turkish version of Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) in health control and clinical samples. Journal of Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapies and Research, 7(1), 19–30. https://doi.org/10.5455/JCBPR.274847
  46. Sarıkaya, Y., & Baloğlu, M. (2016). The development and psychometric properties of the Turkish Death Anxiety Scale (TDAS). Death Studies, 40(7), 419–431. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2016.1158752
  47. Sazak, Y., Kalayci, M., Aytekin Kanadli, K., & Olgun, N. (2025). The relationship between frailty, spiritual orientation, and death anxiety in older adults with chronic illness. OMEGA—Journal of Death and Dying. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228251323139
  48. Taggart, L., Truesdale-Kennedy, M., Ryan, A., & McConkey, R. (2012). Examining the support needs of ageing family carers in developing future plans for a relative with an intellectual disability. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 16(3), 217–234. https://doi.org/10.1177/1744629512456465
  49. Tarakeshwar, N., & Pargament, K. I. (2001). Religious coping in families of children with autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 16(4), 247–260. https://doi.org/10.1177/108835760101600408
  50. Tejakum, W., Truesdale, M., Melville, C., & Cairns, D. (2025). What are the factors that can challenge and promote resilience in parents of children with intellectual disabilities? A systematic review. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 38(6), Article e70165. https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.70165
  51. Templer, D. I. (1970). The construction and validation of a Death Anxiety Scale. The Journal of General Psychology, 82(2), 165–177. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221309.1970.9920634
  52. Wink, P. (2006). Who is afraid of death? Religiousness, spirituality, and death anxiety in late adulthood. Journal of Religion, Spirituality & Aging, 18(2–3), 93–110. https://doi.org/10.1300/J496v18n02_08
  53. Yılmaz, G. (2019). Spiritual orientation, meaning in life, life satisfaction, and well-being in mothers with disabled children. Journal of Religion and Health, 58(6), 2251–2262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-019-00925-4
  54. Yorke, I., White, P., Weston, A., Rafla, M., Charman, T., & Simonoff, E. (2018). The association between emotional and behavioral problems in children with autism spectrum disorder and psychological distress in their parents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(10), 3393–3415. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3605-y