The relationship between physical health and fear of death in rural residents: The mediation effect of meaning in life and mental health.

The current research used questionnaire data to examine the direct and indirect paths between physical health and fear of death. For 386 rural residents, physical health, meaning in life, and mental health were negatively related to fear of death. Physical health affected fear of death through three paths: one was the independent mediation of meaning in life, the other was the independent mediation of mental health, and the third was the serial mediation of meaning in life and mental health. To reduce the fear of death and improve the quality of life among rural residents, educational interventions of meaning in life and mental health are imperative.