Young, R. Vail, K. E., Helm, P., & Lapish, C. C. (2026). Sensing a rift in reality: Validation of the self-world existential isolation scale. Personality and Individual Differences, 256, 112716, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2026.113716

Reed, D. E., Vail, K. E., Cobos, B., Nabity, P., & McGeary, D. D. (2025). Existential distress among individuals with co-occurring chronic pain and PTSD. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001985

Vail, K. E., & Horner, D. E. (2023). The captain of my soul: Self-determination and need-satisfaction help manage death-related cognition, anxiety, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 125, 1308-1331. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000357

Vail, K. E., Galgali, M., Reed, D. E., Helm, P. J., Edwards, M. E., Jimenez, T., Arndt, J., Lehinger, E., Sedivy, L., McGeary, D. D., Nabity, P., & Cobos, B. (2023). COVID-19-related threat, existential isolation, and well-being. Clinical Psychologist, 27, 22-34. https://doi.org/10.1080/13284207.2022.2155510

Vail, K. E., Harvell-Bowman, L., Lockett, M., Pyszczynski, T., & Gilmore, G. (2022). Motivated reasoning: Election integrity beliefs, outcome acceptance, and polarization before, during, and after the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. Motivation & Emotion, 47, 177-192. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-022-09983-w

Soenke, M., Vail, K. E., & Greenberg, J. (2022). Investigating the role of normative support in atheists’ perceptions of meaning in life following reminders of death. Frontiers in Psychology (section: Personality and Social Psychology), 13, 913508. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.913508

Helm, P. J., Jimenez, T., Galgali, M., Edwards, M. E., Vail, K. E., & Arndt, J. (2022). Divergent effects of social media use on meaning in life via loneliness and existential isolation during the coronavirus pandemic. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 39, 1768-1793. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075211066922

*Arrowood, R. B., *Vail, K. E., & Cox, C. (2022). The existential quest: Doubt, openness, and the exploration of religious uncertainty. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 32, 89-126. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508619.2021.1902647

Reed, D. E., Cobos, B., Lehinger, E., Nabity, P., Vail, K. E., & McGeary, D. D. (2021). Pain-Related Disability, PTSD Symptoms, and Mood among a Comorbid Chronic Pain and PTSD Sample Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Health Psychology, 34689654. https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053211051821

Reed, D. E., Lehinger, E., Cobos, B., Vail, K. E., Nabity, P., Helm, P. J., Galgali, M., & McGeary, D. D. (2021). Authenticity as a resilience factor against CV-19 threat among those with chronic pain and posttraumatic stress disorder. Frontiers in Psychology (section: Health Psychology), 12, 643869. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.643869

Vail, K. E., Reed, D., Goncy, E., Cornelius, T., & Edmondson, D. (2020). Anxiety buffer disruption: Self-evaluation, death anxiety, and stressor appraisals among low and high posttraumatic stress symptom samples. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 39, 353-382. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2020.39.5.353

Vail, K. E., Sullivan, D.,Landau, M. J., & Greenberg, J. (2020). Applying existential social psychology to mental health. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 39, 229-237. https://www.doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2020.39.4.229

Vail, K. E., Conti, J., Goad, A., & Horner, D. (2020). Existential threat fuels worldview defense, but not after priming autonomy orientation. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 42, 150-166. https://doi.org/10.1080/01973533.2020.1726747

Vail, K. E., Soenke, M., Waggoner, B. J., & Mavropoulou, I. (2020). Natural, but not supernatural, literal immortality affirmation attenuates mortality salience effects on worldview defense in atheists.Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 46, 312-326. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167219855051

Vail, K. E., Horner, D., Waggoner, B. J., & Conti, J. P. (2019). Pushing up daisies: Goal orientation, death awareness, and satisfaction with life. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 85, 103891. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2019.103891

Vail, K. E., Courtney, E., Goncy, E., Cornelius, T., & Edmondson, D. (2019). Anxiety buffer disruption: Relationship threat, death-anxiety, and coping appraisals among low and high posttraumatic stress symptom samples. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 38, 501-511. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2019.38.6.501

Vail, K. E., Courtney, E., & Arndt, J. (2019). The influence of existential threat and tolerance salience on anti-Islamic attitudes in American politics.Political Psychology, 40, 1143-1162. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12579

Vail, K. E., Goncy, E., & Edmondson, D. (2019). Anxiety buffer disruption: Worldview threat, death thought accessibility, and worldview defense among low and high posttraumatic stress symptom samples. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 11, 647-655. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000441‍ ‍

Vail, K. E., & Soenke, M. (2018). The impact of mortality salience on meaning in life among religious and atheists. Religion, Brain, & Behavior, 8, 44-56. https://doi.org/10.1080/2153599X.2016.1238845

Arrowood, R. B., Jong, J., Vail, K. E., & Hood, R. W. (2018). On the importance of integrating terror management theory and psychology of religion. Religion, Brain, & Behavior, 8, 1-3. https://www.doi.org/10.1080/2153599X.2018.1411636

McCabe, S., Vail, K. E., & Arndt., J. (2018). The impact of death awareness on sizes of self-representational objects. British Journal of Social Psychology, 57, 174-188. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12227

Vail, K. E., Morgan, A., & Kahle, L. (2018). Self-affirmation attenuates death-thought accessibility after mortality salience, but not among a high-posttraumatic stress sample. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 10, 112-120. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000304

Sedikides, C., Wildschut, T., Routledge, C., Arndt, J., Hepper, E. G., Vail, K. E., et al. (2016). Nostalgia Fosters Self-Continuity: Uncovering the Mechanism (Social Connectedness) and Consequence (Eudaimonic Wellbeing). Emotion, 16, 524-539. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000136

Vail, K. E., & Juhl, J. (2015). An appreciative view of the brighter side of terror management processes. Social Sciences, 4, 1020-1045. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci4041020

McCabe, S., Arndt, J., Goldenberg, J. L., Vess, M., Vail, K. E., Gibbons, F. X. (2015). The effect of visualizing healthy eaters and mortality reminders on nutritious grocery purchases: An integrative terror management and prototype willingness analysis.Health Psychology, 34, 279-282. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000154

McCabe, S., Vail, K. E., Arndt, J., & Goldenberg, J. L. (2014). Hails from the crypt: A terror management health model investigation of the effectiveness of health-oriented vs. celebrity-oriented endorsements. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 40, 289-300. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167213510745

Arndt, J., Vail, K. E., Cox, C. R., Goldenberg, J. L., Piasecki, T. M., & Gibbons, F. X. (2013). The interactive effect of mortality reminders and tobacco craving on smoking topography. Health Psychology, 32, 525-532. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029201

Vail, K. E., Arndt., J., & Abdollahi, A. (2012). Exploring the existential function of religion and supernatural agent beliefs among Christians, Muslims, Atheists and Agnostics. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38, 1288-1300. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167212449361

Pyszczynski, T., Motyl, M., Vail, K. E., Hirschberger, G., Arndt, J., & Kesebir, P. (2012). Drawing attention to global climate change decreases support for war. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 18, 354-368. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030328

Vail, K. E., Juhl, J., Arndt, J., Vess, M. K., Routledge, C., & Rutjens, B. T. (2012). When death is good for life: Considering the positive trajectories of terror management. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 16, 303-329. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868312440046

Vail, K. E., Arndt, J., Motyl, M. S., & Pyszczynski, T. (2012). The aftermath of destruction: Images of destroyed buildings increase support for war, dogmatism, and death thought accessibility. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48, 1069-1081. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2012.05.004

Vail, K. E., Rothschild, Z. K., Weise, D., Solomon, S., Pyszczynski, T., & Greenberg, J. (2010). A terror management analysis of the psychological functions of religion. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 14, 84-94. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868309351165

Vail, K. E., & Motyl, M. S. (2010). Support for Diplomacy: Peacemaking and militarism as a unidimensional correlate of social, environmental, and political attitudes. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 16, 29-57. https://doi.org/10.1080/10781910903486813

Vail, K. E., Arndt, J., Motyl, M., & Pyszczynski, T. (2009). Compassionate values and presidential politics: Mortality salience, compassionate values, and support for Barack Obama and John McCain in the 2008 Presidential election. Analysis of Social Issues and Public Policy. 9, 255-268. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-2415.2009.01190.x