Background: A chronic disease generally leads to a decline in patients’ health and shortened lives. This cross-sectional study examined death acceptance and related factors among Thai Buddhists diagnosed with chronic diseases. Methods: A convenience sample of 423 patients recruited from five tertiary hospitals in Thailand completed self-reported questionnaires. Results: Respondents reported a moderately high level of death acceptance, with a mean score of 39.59 ± 6.52 (out of 48.00). Death anxiety, Buddhist practices, Buddhist belief, and self-efficacy explained 28% of the variance of death acceptance (R2 = 0.28; F = 25.27; p < 0.001). Among variables, Buddhist belief was the strongest predictor of death acceptance (β = 0.26, t = 5.74, p < 0.01), followed by death anxiety (β = -0.23, t = -4.84, p < 0.05). Conclusions: Investigation of additional variables is recommended to enhance the model’s predictability. Longitudinal studies on how Buddhists’ death acceptance changes with disease chronicity are needed to understand this phenomenon fully. Examining whether a causal relationship exists between death anxiety and death acceptance is also recommended. Clinical trial number: Not applicable.
