Health Anxiety Predicts the Perceived Dangerousness of COVID-19 over and above Intrusive Illness-Related Thoughts, Contamination Symptoms, and State and Trait Negative Affect

Claudio Sica, Corrado Caudek, Silvia Cerea, Ilaria Colpizzi, Maria Caruso, Paolo Giulini and Gioia Bottesi
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Claudio Sica: Department of Health Sciences, Psychology Section, University of Firenze, Via San Salvi, 12, 50135 Firenze, Italy
Corrado Caudek: Department of Neurosciences, Psychology, Drug Research, and Child Health, University of Firenze, Via San Salvi, 12, 50135 Firenze, Italy
Silvia Cerea: Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia, 8, 35131 Padova, Italy
Ilaria Colpizzi: Department of Health Sciences, Psychology Section, University of Firenze, Via San Salvi, 12, 50135 Firenze, Italy
Maria Caruso: Department of Health Sciences, Psychology Section, University of Firenze, Via San Salvi, 12, 50135 Firenze, Italy
Paolo Giulini: Department of Health Sciences, Psychology Section, University of Firenze, Via San Salvi, 12, 50135 Firenze, Italy
Gioia Bottesi: Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia, 8, 35131 Padova, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 4, 1-12

Abstract: This study sought to evaluate the specificity of health anxiety, relative to other forms of psychopathology, in perceptions of COVID-19 as dangerous. Measures of health anxiety, COVID-19 perceived dangerousness, negative affect, anxiety, depression, stress, contamination-related obsessions and compulsions, and intrusive illness-related thoughts were administered online to 742 community individuals during the Italian national lockdown. Results showed that, after controlling for demographic variables and other internalizing problems, health anxiety was the single most important factor associated with the perceived dangerousness of COVID-19. Moreover, a comparison between the current sample’s scores on various symptom measures and scores from prepandemic Italian samples revealed that, whereas other internalizing symptoms increased by a large or very large magnitude during the pandemic, levels of health anxiety and negative affect increased by a medium amount. This result may indicate that health anxiety is relatively trait-like, increasing the likelihood that our correlational data support the model of health anxiety as a vulnerability rather than an outcome. Together, these results indicate that health anxiety may be a specific risk factor for COVID-related maladjustment and support the distinction of health anxiety from other psychological problems.

Keywords: health anxiety; intrusive thoughts; contamination; negative affect; pandemic; psychopathology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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