Nature connectedness, perceived social support, and death anxiety: The mediating role of perceived stress in Malaysian young adults

Lim, Hwee San and Ng, Jou En and Yeong, Yixing (2026) Nature connectedness, perceived social support, and death anxiety: The mediating role of perceived stress in Malaysian young adults. Final Year Project, UTAR.

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Abstract

Death anxiety is growing yet underexplored mental health concern among young adults. The study explored how perceived stress serves a mediating role within the relationships between nature connectedness, perceived social support, and death anxiety among Malaysian young adults. The research was grounded in Terror Management Theory (TMT) and Transactional Model of Stress and Coping (TMSC) in conceptualising existential fear management through cultural worldviews and cognitive stress appraisal. A quantitative design with convenience sampling was used to collect data from 132 Malaysian young adults aged 18 to 30 years via online platform. Death Anxiety Questionnaire (DAQ), Nature Relatedness Scale (NR-6), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) alongside Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) were utilized to measure the variables. Findings revealed that perceived social support negatively predicted perceived stress, whereas perceived stress positively predicted death anxiety. Neither nature connectedness nor perceived social support significantly predicted death anxiety, and perceived stress did not significantly mediate either relationship. These findings extend the literature on TMT and TMSC in the young adult Malaysian context by offering a foundation for developing psychological interventions combining social support systems with nature-related activities. These findings suggest that stress management may play a more important role than external factors in addressing death anxiety among young adults. Thus, mental health interventions should prioritize stress-management techniques to reduce death anxiety. Future research is recommended to explore stress reduction interventions integrating nature-based activities and group-based therapeutic approaches as potential strategies to deal with death anxiety among this population.

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