Browsing by Author "Reiser, Sarah Jane"

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Open Access
Childhood Abuse and Health Anxiety: The Roles of Attachment and Emotion Regulation
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2013-07) Reiser, Sarah Jane; Wright, Kristi; Hadjistavropoulos, Heather; Oriet, Christopher; Staples, Kerri
Health anxiety refers to excessive preoccupation or worry about one’s health. A number of childhood experiences have been linked to the development of health anxiety in adulthood; however, the influence of childhood abuse on health anxiety is unclear. Previous literature has revealed mixed findings (e.g., Noyes et al., 2002; Salmon & Calderbank, 1996). The purpose of the current study was to examine levels of health anxiety in adults who have a history of childhood abuse (i.e., physical, sexual, emotional, and neglect) and to investigate the roles of emotion regulation and attachment in this relationship. It was hypothesized that there would be significant, positive relationships between health anxiety, childhood abuse, and the associated constructs, that childhood abuse experiences and the associated constructs would be predictive of health anxiety, and that emotion regulation and attachment would mediate the relationship between childhood abuse and health anxiety. The sample was comprised of 181 University of Regina students ranging from 18 to 29 years of age (Mage = 20.29 years). Participants completed a battery of measures that assessed health anxiety, childhood abuse experiences, emotion regulation, attachment, and associated constructs. The results revealed that health anxiety was associated with all categories of childhood abuse and overall childhood abuse severity. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that childhood abuse was predictive of health anxiety in adulthood; however, the unique contribution of these experiences was no longer significant following the inclusion of the other variables of interest. Results from mediation analyses demonstrated that emotion dysregulation, attachment anxiety, and anxiety sensitivity were all revealed as partial mediators in the relationship between childhood abuse and health anxiety. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between abuse in childhood and health anxiety in adulthood. Further, these findings may assist in identifying those at risk for developing health anxiety and may also have implications for strategies that may be useful in the prevention and treatment of health anxiety.
Open Access
Examining Health Anxiety and Anxiety About Fetal Health During Pregnancy
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2019-01) Reiser, Sarah Jane; Wright, Kristi; Carleton, R. Nicholas; Klest, Bridget; Novik, Nuelle; Green, Sheryl
Background: Health anxiety refers to excessive preoccupation or worry about one’s health. The experience of health anxiety during pregnancy is unclear. The limited existing research provides mixed results regarding the impact of pregnancy on health anxiety (e.g., Kowalyk, Hadjistavropoulos, & Jones, 2009; Savron et al., 1989). Purpose: The current investigation was designed to assess health anxiety in pregnant women, examine the relationship between health anxiety and fetal health anxiety, and examine the relationships between health anxiety, fetal health anxiety, associated constructs (i.e., general anxiety, depression, anxiety sensitivity, intolerance of uncertainty), and core health cognitions. In addition, inductive content analysis of open-ended questions facilitated a more comprehensive understanding of women’s experiences of fetal health anxiety. Methods: Participants comprised a sample of pregnant women (n = 100) and a sample of similarly aged non-pregnant women (n = 111) who completed a battery of measures to assess health anxiety, fetal health anxiety (pregnant women only), and additional constructs of interest. Results: Overall levels of health anxiety did not differ between the pregnant and non-pregnant women; in fact, scores for related subscales measuring perceived likelihood of having an illness and perceived negative consequences of having an illness were significantly lower in the pregnant sample suggesting that pregnancy may serve a protective function against some components of health anxiety. Significant, positive correlations between maternal health anxiety and measures of fetal health anxiety were observed. Significant, positive associations were also observed between health anxiety and the associated constructs (i.e., general anxiety, depression, anxiety sensitivity, intolerance of uncertainty) in both samples. General anxiety accounted for significant variance in health anxiety in the pregnant sample, and general anxiety and anxiety sensitive accounted for significant variance in health anxiety in the non-pregnant sample. The core health cognitions also accounted for significant variance in health anxiety, with differences observed between the samples. All four of the core health cognitions were uniquely related to health anxiety even when controlling for general anxiety and depression in both samples (with the exception of awfulness of illness in the non-pregnant sample). Significant, positive associations between fetal health anxiety and the associated constructs (with the exception of inhibitory intolerance of uncertainty and one measure of depression) were observed and general anxiety accounted for significant variance in fetal health anxiety. The core health cognitions accounted for significant variance in fetal health anxiety; however, only one of the four health cognitions (i.e., difficulty coping with illness) approached accounting for unique variance in fetal health anxiety when controlling for general anxiety and depression. Results from the inductive content analysis provided further information about pregnant women’s experiences of fetal health anxiety. Implications: The current investigation increases our knowledge of factors that may underlie elevated health anxiety during pregnancy. The results also extend our understanding of fetal health anxiety during pregnancy and the association between this construct and maternal health anxiety. The results support the cognitive-behavioural model of health anxiety and may have implications for assessment and treatment strategies for elevated health anxiety and fetal health anxiety during pregnancy.