Quality of life and death anxiety among caregivers of patients with advanced cancer: the mediating effect of trait anxious personality and the moderating effect of social support

To explore the mediating role of trait anxious personality in the association between quality of life (QoL) and death anxiety (DA), as well as to test the moderating effect of social support in the mediation model.

The Death Anxiety Scale, Quality of Life Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Scale, and Social Support Rating Scale were used to measure 588 family caregivers of advanced cancer patients. We then constructed a moderated mediation model.

The presence of QoL was negatively associated with DA (β =  − 0.67, p < 0.01). Trait anxious personality partially mediated the relationship between QoL and DA (indirect effect β =  − 0.08, p < 0.01). Social support moderated both the antecedent and subsequent segments of the mediating paths of “QoL → trait anxious personality → DA” and the direct relationship between QoL and DA. Among caregivers with a low level of social support, the mediating effect coefficient of trait anxious personality was higher at 0.25 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.059–0.182), in contrast to caregivers with a high level of social support, where the mediating effect coefficient of trait anxious personality was 0.11 (95% CI: 0.029–0.072).

QoL is directly associated with an increased risk of DA and indirectly related to DA by increasing the risk of trait anxious personality among caregivers. Social support can moderate the mediating effect of trait anxious personality and the relationship between QoL and DA. The intervention strategy for preventing DA among caregivers who have encountered QoL reduction should focus on reducing trait anxious personality and social support.