Objectives: This research aimed to explore the prevalence of health anxiety in stroke survivors and its relative impact on quality of life. Design: A cross-sectional design was used including between group comparisons of high and low health anxious stroke survivors. Methods: One hundred and five stroke survivors took part in the study. Measures of interest were health anxiety, general anxiety, depression, disability and quality of life. Information on participant’s demographics and medical histories were also assessed. Results: Thirty percent of the sample scored above the clinical cut off for health anxiety. Stroke survivors with high health anxiety were found to have significantly lower levels of quality of life and higher rates of depression. Regression analysis found health anxiety to be a significant predictor of quality of life in addition to levels of depression and disability. Conclusions: The prevalence of health anxiety in stroke survivors was significantly higher than the general population. Those with high health anxiety were found to have both poorer quality of life and higher levels of depression. Given the high prevalence and potential impact on quality of life clinicians may benefit from routinely screening for health anxiety in stroke survivors. Future research should explore the use of existing evidence based psychological interventions for health anxiety in this population.
- Stroke
- Anxiety disorders
- Health anxiety
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
- PTSD
Doctorate in Clinical Psychology: Main Research Portfolio: 1) Change in prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder in the two years following trauma: a meta-analytic study; 2) Service evaluation of a pilot single session group intervention for patients and their carers transitioning from relapsing-remitting to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis; 3) Health Anxiety in Stroke Survivors; A cross-sectional study on the prevalence of health anxiety in stroke survivors and its impact on quality of life.
Diamond, P. (Author). 8 Sept 2020
Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy)