Cognitive and behavioral responses to illness information: the role of health anxiety

The cognitive-behavioral theory of health anxiety predicts atypical responses in health: anxious individuals when exposed to health related information. Systematic research is still needed to support the theory. This investigation examined 192 participants varying in subclinical levels of health anxiety, who were randomly given feedback on an ostensible diagnostic measure, indicating positive, negative or ambiguous risk for health complications. Responses to a cold presser task were then measured. The results indicated that regardless of the type of feedback patients were given, health anxious individuals displayed the predicted cognitive (e.g. negatively interpreted information) and behavioral responses (e.g. increased reassurance seeking). Important and perhaps central cognitions to health anxiety were identified. Health anxious individuals regarded themselves to be at greater risk for disease overall, and attached greater accuracy to health related information. Extending the cognitive-behavioural theory, hearth anxiety was found to be associated with decreased usage of positive somatic monitoring of symptoms, suggesting health anxiety may be associated with a failure to engage in protective strategies. Health anxiety did not result in cognitive or behavioural avoidance of illness information. Clinical implications and future directions for research are described. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science. Ltd. All rights reserved.