Abstract
In a context where religiosity and spirituality (R/S) are an integral part of daily living, these constructs may significantly influence how people perceive death and seek meaning. The present study aimed to explore whether R/S moderate the relationship between ontological representations of death (ORD) and meaning in life (MIL). In an online cross-sectional survey, 487 university students (male = 26.3%; female = 71.5%; mean age = 24) completed the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, Testoni Death Representation Scale, Religious Commitment Inventory, and Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale. Structural equation modelling (SEM) in Mplus was used to observe the moderating effects of R/S on the relationship between ORD and MIL. Latent class analysis (LCA) yielded five theoretically plausible R/S latent classes to explore how their heterogeneous configuration account for the influence of death representations on the presence of and search for meaning. As a multigroup moderation analysis, direct effects between ORD (IV) and MIL (DV) were computed and compared across the five emergent R/S latent classes. The findings from this study suggest that in this South African sample, R/S played a role in determining one’s perception of death and subsequent experience of meaning. These findings hold practical implications for mental health practitioners, where interventions that align with individuals’ cultural worldviews may enhance meaning-making.