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International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanity Development

Open Access Peer Review International
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A Gender-Based Analysis of Life Satisfaction, Psychological Well-Being, and Death Anxiety in Middle-Aged Adults

DOI https://doi.org/10.55640/ijsshd-v03i09-02
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Haruka Tanaka 1 ,
4 Department of Social Sciences, East Asia Institute of Human Development, Tokyo, Japan

Abstract

Life satisfaction, psychological well-being, and death anxiety represent interconnected dimensions of adult psychosocial functioning, particularly during middle adulthood when individuals increasingly confront questions concerning aging, purpose, health, mortality, and future life circumstances. This research-and-review article develops a gender-sensitive analytical framework for examining the relationships among these constructs in adults approaching later life. Drawing exclusively on the supplied literature, the study synthesizes evidence concerning life satisfaction, psychological well-being, meaning in life, spirituality, resilience, death anxiety, and gender differences in well-being. The analysis is theoretically positioned through life-satisfaction perspectives, meaning-oriented approaches, spirituality-related models, and Terror Management Theory. Particular attention is given to the possibility that death anxiety is not an isolated psychological outcome but may interact with meaning in life, psychological hardiness, resilience, and perceived well-being. The reviewed literature indicates that stronger meaning-oriented and psychosocial resources are generally associated with more adaptive psychological functioning, whereas heightened death anxiety may undermine aspects of well-being. Gender should therefore be treated as an analytical dimension rather than merely a demographic control variable. The article proposes an integrated gender-sensitive model in which life satisfaction and psychological well-being are examined alongside death anxiety and potentially protective resources such as meaning in life, spirituality, resilience, and ego integrity. The framework contributes to a more multidimensional understanding of psychological adaptation during middle adulthood while identifying methodological limitations and directions for future empirical research.

Keywords

Life Satisfaction, Psychological Well-Being, Death Anxiety, Gender Differences

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