Death AnxietyNCT07201480
Death Anxiety, Depression and Anxiety: An Experimental Study
A study testing Mortality Salience Prompts and Dental Pain Prompts in people with Death Anxiety and Depression, run by Babes-Bolyai University at 1 site in Romania.
Trial summary
The goal of this experimental study is to investigate the transdiagnostic role of death anxiety in depression and anxiety symptoms in participants from the general population. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does the mortality salience task induce death anxiety? 2. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 65 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Death Anxiety, Depression, Anxiety
- What is being tested?
- Mortality Salience Prompts and Dental Pain Prompts
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 128 participants
- Where
- 1 siteRomania
- Study dates
- 1 Mar 2025to Jan 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 65 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Age over 18 years.
- Living in Cluj-Napoca (or otherwise willing and able to participate in the lab task)
Who cannot join
- Personality disorder diagnosis
- Psychotic disorder diagnosis
- Suicidal ideation
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Romania1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Babes Bolyai University
Cluj-Napoca
Roxana Cardoș, PhD, +40 751 477 323, roxanaoltean@psychology.ro
About this study
Official title: Death Anxiety: Implications for Depression and Anxiety - An Experimental Study
The goal of this experimental study is to investigate the transdiagnostic role of death anxiety in depression and anxiety symptoms in participants from the general population.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
Read more
- Does the mortality salience task induce death anxiety?
- Does the experimental group present an increase in depression and anxiety symptoms following the mortality salience task?
The investigators will compare the experimental condition to a control condition to see if the death anxiety induction is responsible for the expected increase in depression and anxiety symptoms.
The mortality salience prompt will be asking participants to elaborate on their thoughts and feelings surrounding death and dying, including what they think happens during death. The dental pain prompt will ask participants to do the same, only in regards to the thought of having dental pain.
Experimental group: participants will undergo a pen-and-paper writing task where they will be asked to answer two questions:
- "Please briefly describe the emotions that the thought of your own death arouses in you."
- "Jot down, as specifically as you can, what you think will happen to you physically as you die and once you are physically dead."
Control group:
- "Please briefly describe the emotions that the thought of dental pain arouses in you."
- "Jot down, as specifically as you can, what you think happens to you physically as you experience dental pain and once you have physically experienced dental pain."
Read the detailed description
The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of death anxiety as a transdiagnostic factor in psychopathology. In this particular study, the investigators will examine whether increases in death anxiety - brought about by increasing the salience of death by use of a mortality salience prime lead to increases in levels of depression and anxiety.
Participants will provide their informed consent and will proceed to complete the measures of the study (pretest). Eligible participants will be randomly allocated to either the mortality salience group (experimental group), or the dental pain group (the control group). Participants will be blind to group allocation.
Two weeks after completing the pretest measures, the participants will come to the lab and undergo the experimental tasks, depending on the condition that they have been allocated to.
Experimental group: participants will undergo a pen-and-paper writing task where they will be asked to answer two questions
- Please briefly describe the emotions that the thought of your own death arouses in you.
- Jot down, as specifically as you can, what you think will happen to you physically as you die and once you are physically dead.
Control group: participants will undergo a pen-and-paper writing task where they will be asked to answer two questions
- Please briefly describe the emotions that the thought of dental pain arouses in you.
- Jot down, as specifically as you can, what you think happens to you physically as you experience dental pain and once you have physically experienced dental pain.
After the prime, participants will complete a distractor task, during which they will be asked to read a short, emotionally neutral text - a bogus scientific article, estimated to be a 5 minute read - and answer questions based on this text. Participants will be told that this task is done in order to assess text comprehension abilities. After completing the distractor task, participants will complete the study measures the second time (posttest).
Upon study completion, all participants will be debriefed in the lab, and the real purpose of the study will be explained to them.
- Conditions
- Death Anxiety, Depression, Anxiety
- Being tested
- Mortality Salience Prompts, Dental Pain Prompts
- Keywords
- death anxiety, depression, anxiety, transdiagnostic
- Medical subject headings
- Necrophobia, Depression, Anxiety Disorders
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Mortality Salience PromptsBehavioural
This intervention implies giving two prompts to participants, in a written format, while asking them to write out answers to the given prompts. The first prompt is: "Please briefly describe the emotions that the thought of your death arouses in you." The second prompt is "Jot down, as specifically as you can, what you think will happen to you physically as you die and once you are physically dead."
Dental Pain PromptsBehavioural
This intervention implies giving two prompts to participants, and requesting that participants write out their answers to these prompts. The first prompt is: "Please briefly describe the emotions that the thought of dental pain arouses in you." The second prompt is: "Jot down, as specifically as you can, what you think happens to you physically as you experience dental pain and once you have physically experienced dental pain."
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Mortality Primed | Experimental | Participants in this arm will be instructed to answer two questions that are meant to bring to awareness thoughts about their mortality: "Please briefly describe the emotions that the thought of your death arouses in you." and "Jot down, as specifically as you can, what you think will happen to you physically as you die and once you are physically dead." Receives: Behavioral: Mortality Salience Prompts |
| Dental Pain Primed | Placebo comparator | Participants in this arm will be instructed to answer two questions that may bring to mind thoughts and memories of dental pain: "Please briefly describe the emotions that the thought of dental pain arouses in you." and "Jot down, as specifically as you can, what you think happens to you physically as you experience dental pain and once you have physically experienced dental pain." Receives: Behavioral: Dental Pain Prompts |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Collet-Lester Fear of Death Scale - Revised (CLFD-R)
The Revised version of the Collet-Lester Fear of Death Scale (CLFD-R) is a validated self-report instrument assessing fear and anxiety in regards to death and dying. The scale is comprised of 32 items that are answered from 1 (not at all) to 5 (very much) Possible scores range from 32 to 160. Higher scores indicate worse death anxiety.
Measured: Baseline (Day 1), After the experimental task (Day 14)
Secondary outcomes (3)
The Generalized Anxiety Disorder - 7
The Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale (GAD-7) is a validated self-report instrument that measures symptoms of generalized anxiety. It consists of 7 items rated on a 4-point scale from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day). Total scores range from 0 to 21. Higher scores indicate worse anxiety symptoms.
Measured: Baseline (Day 1), After the experimental task (Day 14)
Patient Health Questionnaire - 9
The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is a validated self-report instrument assessing symptoms of depression. It consists of 9 items, each rated on a 4-point scale ranging from 0 (not at all) to 3 (almost every day). Total scores range from 0 to 27. Higher scores indicate worse depression symptoms.
Measured: Baseline (Day 1), After the experimental task (Day 14)
State and Trait Anxiety Inventory - State subscale
The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) is a validated self-report instrument assessing both state and trait anxiety. In this case, the State Anxiety subscale will be used, which is comprised of 20 items, each rated on a 4-point scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 4 (very much so). Possible scores range from 20 to 80. Higher score indicate higher state anxiety levels.
Measured: Baseline (Day 1), After the experimental task (Day 14)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted1 Oct 2025
- Study start1 Mar 2025
- Primary completion30 Dec 2025 (estimated)
- Study completionJan 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Death AnxietyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 128 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Babes-Bolyai University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Roxana Cardos, Babes-Bolyai University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07201480
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 430/ 30.04.2024
- Status last verified
- Sep 2025
- First submitted
- 12 Jun 2025
- Last updated
- 1 Oct 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Will share IPD used in the results of the publication, upon request.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 1 Oct 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Death Anxiety: Implications for Depression and Anxiety - An Experimental Study
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07201480
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 430/ 30.04.2024
- Conditions
- Death Anxiety, Depression, Anxiety
- Keywords
- death anxiety, depression, anxiety, transdiagnostic
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 128 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Babes-Bolyai UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Mar 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Dec 2025 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Jan 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 1 Oct 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this experimental study is to investigate the transdiagnostic role of death anxiety in depression and anxiety symptoms in participants from the general population.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Does the mortality salience task induce death anxiety?
- Does the experimental group present an increase in depression and anxiety symptoms following the mortality salience task?
The investigators will compare the experimental condition to a control condition to see if the death anxiety induction is responsible for the expected increase in depression and anxiety symptoms.
The mortality salience prompt will be asking participants to elaborate on their thoughts and feelings surrounding death and dying, including what they think happens during death. The dental pain prompt will ask participants to do the same, only in regards to the thought of having dental pain.
Experimental group: participants will undergo a pen-and-paper writing task where they will be asked to answer two questions:
- "Please briefly describe the emotions that the thought of your own death arouses in you."
- "Jot down, as specifically as you can, what you think will happen to you physically as you die and once you are physically dead."
Control group:
- "Please briefly describe the emotions that the thought of dental pain arouses in you."
- "Jot down, as specifically as you can, what you think happens to you physically as you experience dental pain and once you have physically experienced dental pain."
Detailed description
The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of death anxiety as a transdiagnostic factor in psychopathology. In this particular study, the investigators will examine whether increases in death anxiety - brought about by increasing the salience of death by use of a mortality salience prime lead to increases in levels of depression and anxiety.
Participants will provide their informed consent and will proceed to complete the measures of the study (pretest). Eligible participants will be randomly allocated to either the mortality salience group (experimental group), or the dental pain group (the control group). Participants will be blind to group allocation.
Two weeks after completing the pretest measures, the participants will come to the lab and undergo the experimental tasks, depending on the condition that they have been allocated to.
Experimental group: participants will undergo a pen-and-paper writing task where they will be asked to answer two questions
- Please briefly describe the emotions that the thought of your own death arouses in you.
- Jot down, as specifically as you can, what you think will happen to you physically as you die and once you are physically dead.
Control group: participants will undergo a pen-and-paper writing task where they will be asked to answer two questions
- Please briefly describe the emotions that the thought of dental pain arouses in you.
- Jot down, as specifically as you can, what you think happens to you physically as you experience dental pain and once you have physically experienced dental pain.
After the prime, participants will complete a distractor task, during which they will be asked to read a short, emotionally neutral text - a bogus scientific article, estimated to be a 5 minute read - and answer questions based on this text. Participants will be told that this task is done in order to assess text comprehension abilities. After completing the distractor task, participants will complete the study measures the second time (posttest).
Upon study completion, all participants will be debriefed in the lab, and the real purpose of the study will be explained to them.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Mortality Primed | Experimental | Behavioral: Mortality Salience PromptsParticipants in this arm will be instructed to answer two questions that are meant to bring to awareness thoughts about their mortality: "Please briefly describe the emotions that the thought of your death arouses in you." and "Jot down, as specifically as you can, what you think will happen to you physically as you die and once you are physically dead." |
| Dental Pain Primed | Placebo comparator | Behavioral: Dental Pain PromptsParticipants in this arm will be instructed to answer two questions that may bring to mind thoughts and memories of dental pain: "Please briefly describe the emotions that the thought of dental pain arouses in you." and "Jot down, as specifically as you can, what you think happens to you physically as you experience dental pain and once you have physically experienced dental pain." |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 65 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Age over 18 years.
- Living in Cluj-Napoca (or otherwise willing and able to participate in the lab task)
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Personality disorder diagnosis
- Psychotic disorder diagnosis
- Suicidal ideation
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Mortality Salience PromptsThis intervention implies giving two prompts to participants, in a written format, while asking them to write out answers to the given prompts. The first prompt is: "Please briefly describe the emotions that the thought of your death arouses in you." The second prompt is "Jot down, as specifically as you can, what you think will happen to you physically as you die and once you are physically dead." | Behavioural | Mortality Primed |
| Dental Pain PromptsThis intervention implies giving two prompts to participants, and requesting that participants write out their answers to these prompts. The first prompt is: "Please briefly describe the emotions that the thought of dental pain arouses in you." The second prompt is: "Jot down, as specifically as you can, what you think happens to you physically as you experience dental pain and once you have physically experienced dental pain." | Behavioural | Dental Pain Primed |
Primary outcome
Collet-Lester Fear of Death Scale - Revised (CLFD-R)
Time frame: Baseline (Day 1), After the experimental task (Day 14)
The Revised version of the Collet-Lester Fear of Death Scale (CLFD-R) is a validated self-report instrument assessing fear and anxiety in regards to death and dying. The scale is comprised of 32 items that are answered from 1 (not at all) to 5 (very much) Possible scores range from 32 to 160. Higher scores indicate worse death anxiety.
3 secondary outcomes
The Generalized Anxiety Disorder - 7
Time frame: Baseline (Day 1), After the experimental task (Day 14)
Patient Health Questionnaire - 9
Time frame: Baseline (Day 1), After the experimental task (Day 14)
State and Trait Anxiety Inventory - State subscale
Time frame: Baseline (Day 1), After the experimental task (Day 14)
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 1 Oct 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Will share IPD used in the results of the publication, upon request.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Mortality Salience Prompts and Dental Pain Prompts in people with Death Anxiety and Depression, run by Babes-Bolyai University at 1 site in Romania.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 1 Oct 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Romania. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Roxana Cardoș, PhD (0040751477323, roxanaoltean@psychology.ro), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Collet-Lester Fear of Death Scale - Revised (CLFD-R) (time frame: Baseline (Day 1), After the experimental task (Day 14)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 1 Oct 2025.