Abstract
Health anxiety can have a detrimental impact to psychological wellbeing and is linked to increased healthcare utilisation and associated costs for healthcare providers. This study investigated relationships between health anxiety and age, gender, trait anxiety, medical care-seeking, and serious illness diagnosis in the individual and their blood relatives. A cross-sectional, correlational design was used to assess these relationships across a sample of 108 adult participants. Analysis revealed significant associations between health anxiety and age, gender, and trait anxiety. It is concluded that younger adults and females are at increased risk of developing health anxiety. These findings inform practical interventions that could increase health anxiety detection and reduce associated costs.
Publisher
British Psychological Society
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