effect of dialectical behavior therapy on death anxiety in patients with hiv

Aims: deficiency in the human immune system is one of the most common physiological-neurological disorders affected by harsh living conditions and cognitive pressures. therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of dialectical behavior therapy on death anxiety in patients with human immunodeficiency virus.materials & methods: the present quasi-experimental including two intervention groups (20 individuals each) and a control group (20 individuals) was conducted over three pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages. the statistical population consisted of all patients with hiv who were referred to counseling centers (behavioral diseases) and healthcare centers, using purposive sampling in 2024. the intervention group received dialectical behavior therapy during eight training sessions, while the control group did not receive any intervention. the templer death anxiety questionnaire was used to collect data. the data were analyzed using spss 26 software with descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (anova, mancoa, and bonferroni post hoc test.findings: the mean score of death anxiety and all its subscales—including fear of death, fear of pain and illness, thoughts about death, time passing and short life, and fear of the future—decreased in the intervention group after dialectical behavior therapy. the differences among times and between the two groups were significant (p<0.001). the mean score in the intervention group decreased from 11.85±1.38 before the intervention to 5.40±2.43 after the intervention. however, there was no significant change at the follow-up time compared to after the intervention.conclusion: dialectical behavior therapy effectively reduces death anxiety in patients with hiv.