Health anxiety levels in chronic pain clinic attenders
Abstract
Objective An application of the cognitive-behavioural model of health anxiety (hypochondriasis) to chronic pain depends on the extent to which high levels of health anxiety occur in chronic pain, which has yet to be established. Methods The occurrence of health anxiety in consecutively recruited chronic pain patients (n=161) and nonclinical controls with (n=34) and without pain (n=70) was investigated using a questionnaire measure of health anxiety. Results Conservative figures estimated a frequency of 36.7% for hypochondriasis and 51.1% of severe and disabling health anxiety in the chronic pain sample. Conclusion The current finding that high levels of health anxiety are indeed very common in chronic pain indicates the potential value of an application of the cognitive-behavioural health anxiety model to at least the subgroup of highly health-anxious chronic pain patients.
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The sample consisted of 218 undergraduate students with clinically elevated health anxiety, defined as SHAI score of 18 or higher.
“Participants were 218 undergraduate students (75.7% female; Mage = 19.61, SD = 3.27, Range = 18–45) with clinically-elevated levels of health anxiety, as determined by score of 18 or higher on the Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI; Rode, Salkovskis, Dowd & Hanna, 2006; Salkovskis et al., 2002).”
From An examination of mindfulness skills in terms of affect tolerance among individuals with elevated levels of health anxiety. (2018) · cites this paper as Rode, Salkovskis, Dowd & Hanna, 2006
A score of 18 on the SHAI reliably discriminates individuals with severe levels of health anxiety.
“A score of 18 on the SHAI has been shown to reliably discriminate individuals with severe levels of health anxiety (Rode, Salkovskis, Dowd & Hanna, 2006)”
From An examination of mindfulness skills in terms of affect tolerance among individuals with elevated levels of health anxiety. (2018) · cites this paper as Rode, Salkovskis, Dowd & Hanna, 2006
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Prevalence and correlates of clinical insomnia co‐occurring with chronic back pain
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Health anxiety disorders: A cognitive construal
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Increased use of safety-seeking behaviors in chronic back pain patients with high health anxiety
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Mental Defeat in Chronic Pain: Initial Exploration of the Concept
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“The cut-off scores of the SHAI-18 vary across studies [29-31]; however, a previous study concluded that a score of 27 and greater differentiated health anxiety from other anxiety disorders [2].”
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The role of pain catastrophizing in cyberchondria among emerging adults
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Health anxiety is an important driver of healthcare use
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“A score of 18 on the SHAI has been shown to reliably discriminate individuals with severe levels of health anxiety (Rode et al., 2006), and research has indicated that the SHAI is valid for use in medical populations (LeBouthillier, Thibodeau, Alberts, Hadjistavropoulos, & Asmundson, 2015).”
BackgroundHealth anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents diagnosed with OCD
Villadsen, A., Thorgaard, M. V., Hybel, K. A., Jensen, J. S., Thomsen, P. H., & Rask, C. U. (2017) · European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1007/s00787-016-0884-8 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
- Authors
- Rode, S., Salkovskis, P., Dowd, H., & Hanna, M.
- Affiliations
- King's College Hospital (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Salkovskis, Paul
- Venue
- Journal of Psychosomatic Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2006-02
- Volume
- 60
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 155-161
- ISSN
- 0022-3999 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2012565487
- Cited by
- 103
- References
- 6
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 2.76
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Psychosomatic Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Pain Management and Placebo Effect
- Keywords
- health anxiety, chronic pain, cognitive-behavioral model
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aged, Anxiety, Attitude to Health, Chronic Disease, Female, Humans, Hypochondriasis, Male, Middle Aged, Models, Psychological, Pain, Pain Measurement, Sex Factors, Sick Role, Statistics as Topic, Comorbidity, Pain Clinics
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