Abstract
The present study examined the relationship between rumination patterns, death anxiety, and coping strategies among university students. Data of N=304 students (male n = 163 and female n= 141) was taken from different departments of Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. Rumination was measured by using Event Related Rumination Inventory (ERRI). Brief Cope Scale was used to assess the coping strategies and Death anxiety was measured by using Templer’s Death Anxiety Scale - Extended (DAS-E). Results showed that death anxiety was positively associated with intrusive and deliberate rumination. Moreover, death anxiety was positively associated with self-distraction coping, denial coping, instrumental support, emotional support, behavior disengagement, religion, and self-blame coping, whereas, it was negatively associated with active coping and acceptance coping. In addition, both intrusive and deliberate rumination were positively associated with the self-distraction, active coping, denial coping, instrumental support, emotional support, behavior disengagement, venting, positive reframing, planning, humor, acceptance, religious coping, whereas, self-blame coping was positively associated with intrusive rumination only not with the deliberate rumination. In addition, age was positively associated with deliberate rumination, problems solving coping. Female students scored significantly high on death anxiety, whereas, male students significantly scored high on deliberate rumination. Furthermore, male students scored significantly high on substance abuse coping and avoidance copings strategies whereas, female students scored significantly high on religious coping strategies. Utilization of the convenient sampling methodology and use of self-report measures were the main limitations of this study.