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Related Experiment Videos

Transient and persistent hypochondriacal worry in primary care

J M Robbins1, L J Kirmayer

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock 72202, USA.

Psychological Medicine
|May 1, 1996
PubMed
Summary

Persistent hypochondriacal worry in primary care patients is linked to serious medical history and higher rates of depression or anxiety disorders. These factors, along with interpersonal vulnerability, predict enduring illness worry.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Primary Care Medicine
  • Medical Psychology

Background:

  • Hypochondriacal worry, or health anxiety, is a common concern in primary care settings.
  • Understanding the trajectory and predictors of persistent illness worry is crucial for effective patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To prospectively examine the characteristics and predictors of persistent hypochondriacal worry in a primary care population.
  • To identify factors associated with the development and maintenance of health anxiety over a 12-month period.

Main Methods:

  • A 12-month prospective study involving 546 family medicine patients was conducted.
  • Patients were assessed at baseline and 1-year follow-up using the Illness Worry Scale, with categorization into non-hypochondriacal, transient, emerging, and persistent worry groups.

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  • Medical history, current illness severity, psychiatric diagnoses, and interpersonal factors were analyzed.

    • Main Results:

    • Persistent hypochondriacal worry was associated with a more serious medical history, but not a more severe current illness, compared to less worried patients.
    • Patients with persistent illness worry had higher rates of major depression or anxiety disorders.
    • Interpersonal factors, including perceived judgment from significant others and lack of encouragement to seek medical care, were also linked to persistent worry.

    Conclusions:

    • Depressive or anxiety disorders, fear of emotional instability, pathological symptom attributional styles, and interpersonal vulnerability are key predictors of enduring illness worry.
    • These findings highlight the complex interplay of psychological and social factors in persistent health anxiety.
    • Primary care interventions should consider addressing these underlying vulnerabilities for patients with persistent hypochondriacal worry.