Childhood Abuse and Health Anxiety: The Roles of Attachment and Emotion Regulation

Abstract

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.