Illness anxiety disorder: A qualitative study of people with health anxiety and their experiences seeking and avoiding medical care

IF 2.3 3区心理学 Q1 PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL

British Journal of Clinical Psychology Pub Date : 2026-02-10 Epub Date: 2025-07-08 DOI:10.1111/bjc.70005

Katarina Kikas, Aliza Werner-Seidler, Brittany Corkish, Emily Upton, Monique Holden, Jill M. Newby

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective

Illness anxiety disorder (IAD) has two subtypes in the DSM-5: ‘care-seeking’ and ‘care-avoidant’, with a third subtype, ‘care fluctuating’ identified in previous research. This study explores the experiences of individuals with IAD when seeking and avoiding medical care.

Design and Methods

We recruited self-identified health-anxious individuals via online social media advertisements. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and a diagnostic interview assessing IAD and comorbidities. Participants meeting IAD criteria (N = 37, mean age = 39, 76% female) completed a qualitative interview about their experiences seeking and avoiding medical care, analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Results

Participants reported that internal and external factors influenced help-seeking behaviours. Internal factors were physical symptoms, worry, fear, reassurance-seeking, and the motivation to stay healthy for their children. External factors included past experiences with health professionals, cost of care, and a busy lifestyle. Worry about missing a serious disease, symptom severity, and emotional fatigue from repeated care-seeking contributed to fluctuations in help-seeking. Negative past experiences with health professionals also impacted willingness to seek medical care.

Conclusions

Reasons behind different help-seeking behaviours in IAD are complex. This study provides insight into the help-seeking experiences of individuals with IAD and the factors influencing these behaviours, which can inform targeted treatment approaches for IAD.

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疾病焦虑障碍：一项对健康焦虑人群及其寻求和避免医疗护理经历的定性研究。

目的：疾病焦虑症（IAD）在DSM-5中有两种亚型：“寻求护理”和“逃避护理”，还有第三种亚型，“护理波动”，在以前的研究中被确定。本研究探讨了IAD患者在寻求和避免医疗护理时的经历。设计和方法：我们通过在线社交媒体广告招募了自我认定为健康焦虑的个体。参与者完成了人口调查问卷和评估IAD和合并症的诊断性访谈。符合IAD标准的参与者（N = 37，平均年龄= 39,76%为女性）完成了关于其寻求和避免医疗护理经历的定性访谈，并使用自反性主题分析进行了分析。结果：参与者报告了内部和外部因素对求助行为的影响。内部因素包括身体症状、担心、恐惧、寻求安慰和为孩子保持健康的动机。外部因素包括过去与卫生专业人员的经历、护理费用和忙碌的生活方式。担心错过严重的疾病、症状的严重程度以及反复求医造成的情绪疲劳是导致求医人数波动的原因。过去与卫生专业人员的负面经历也影响了寻求医疗服务的意愿。结论：IAD患者不同求助行为背后的原因是复杂的。本研究深入了解了IAD患者的求助经历以及影响这些行为的因素，为IAD的针对性治疗提供了依据。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

British Journal of Clinical Psychology PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL-

CiteScore

5.80

自引率

3.20%

发文量

期刊介绍： The British Journal of Clinical Psychology publishes original research, both empirical and theoretical, on all aspects of clinical psychology: - clinical and abnormal psychology featuring descriptive or experimental studies - aetiology, assessment and treatment of the whole range of psychological disorders irrespective of age group and setting - biological influences on individual behaviour - studies of psychological interventions and treatment on individuals, dyads, families and groups