BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Nurses are frequently faced with death and dying patients due to the nature of their job. Death anxiety in these people may be associated with depression, generalized anxiety and suicidal thoughts, which may impair their performance. This study aims to assess the relationship between death anxiety and mental health status among nurses.

METHODS: This analytical study was carried out through evaluation the intensive care unit, emergency and operating room nurses in hospitals affiliated to Babol University of Medical Sciences using Templer's Death Anxiety Scale (DAS) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). DAS score ranged from 0 to 15; higher score indicated greater death anxiety. GHQ evaluated physical health, anxiety, social activity and depression. Respondents who got higher scores had more psychological problems.

FINDINGS: Of 142 nurses who participated in this study, 88 nurses (68.7%) had high death anxiety and 40 nurses (31.3%) had low death anxiety. There were no significant relationship between death anxiety and variables of age, gender, marital status, place of activity and education level. There was a significant inverse relationship between death anxiety and subscales of GHQ including anxiety (p=0.008) and lack of social activity (43 nurses [31.6%] with low death anxiety vs. 93 nurses [68.4%] with high death anxiety) (p=0.046).

CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrated that death anxiety is highly prevalent among nurses. Therefore, educational intervention programs are necessary to reduce death anxiety and its complications