Death anxiety is a psychological fear associated with thinking about death. It is commonly linked to depression, stress, panic attacks, illness anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and phobias. Research shows this anxiety often peaks around age 20, declines in midlife, then increases in people over 65. It can also affect those with terminal illnesses, such as cancer.

The study, published in Frontiers in Virtual Reality, was led by Dr. Zhipeng Lu and his doctoral student, Parya Khadan. Lu is an assistant professor in the College of Architecture, the associate director of the Center for Health Systems and Design and a fellow of the Telehealth Institute at Texas A&M.