Predicting illness behavior: health anxiety mediated by locus of control
Jay R Skidmore1, Sara J Dyson2, Amy E Kupper2
1Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA, USA. skidmore@spu.edu.
Objective:
To examine the role of 3 dimensions of Health Locus of Control (HLOC) on the relationship between health anxiety and illness behavior.
Methods:
Cross-sectional survey study of 202 college women. Path analysis and bootstrapping techniques were used to test the significance of mediated models.
Results:
The indirect effect of Powerful Others HLOC was significant (β = .06, p < .001), and together health anxiety and Powerful Others HLOC explained 27% of the variance in illness behavior.
Conclusion:
Health anxiety and illness behavior are common problems in college women, and that Powerful Others HLOC is a key mechanism underlying the relationship between health anxiety and illness behavior.
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