Short report: Early-onset health anxiety: Insights from a cross-sectional study on adults diagnosed with severe health anxiety

Abstract

Objective

The knowledge of early-onset health anxiety (HA) (i.e. onset before age 18) is limited. This retrospective study aimed to investigate 1) the age of onset of HA and 2) potential clinical factors associated with early- compared with late-onset HA in adult patients with severe HA.

Methods

The study sample consisted of 126 adults (aged 20–60 years) diagnosed with severe HA and referred to specialized treatment. All underwent semi-structured diagnostic interviews assessing psychiatric disorders and functional somatic disorders. The interview also included a detailed illness history with a chronological listing of HA symptom onset. Self-reports were obtained on current HA symptoms, illness perceptions, and treatment expectations.

Results

Early onset of HA was reported by 40 participants (32 %, 95 % CI: 24 %–41 %) with a mean age at symptom onset of 11.6 years (SD: 4.0, range: 5–17), and 23 participants reported onset before age 13 (57.5 %). Early-onset HA was significantly associated with more negative perceptions of consequences of symptoms (Cohen's d = 0.41, p = 0.04) and stronger psychological attributions (Cohen's d = 0.33, p = 0.03), and the group with early onset were more often diagnosed with severe functional somatic disorders (Cramer's V = 0.17, p = 0.06) and reported more negative treatment expectations (Cramer's V = 0.17, p = 0 0.06), although these results were non-significant.

Conclusion

Early onset of HA may be common and associated with more negative illness perceptions in adulthood. These results need replication but highlight the need for further research on HA in youth.