Health anxiety and associated constructs in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis

Abstract

Health anxiety refers to the concern about one’s health, often based on the worry that harmful bodily sensations may be indicative of a serious illness. It was originally thought that health anxiety emerged in adulthood, however a burgeoning body literature suggests that the origin is likely much earlier (i.e., childhood). However, little research exists on the etiology or the experiences of health anxiety in specialized child medical populations (i.e., cystic fibrosis [CF]). CF is the most common inherited, life-limiting chronic disease amongst Caucasian individuals which causes multi-organ dysfunction and requires time-consuming therapies. Recent research has demonstrated that children and adults with CF are at an increased risk for psychopathology (i.e., depression and anxiety). The purpose of this study was to extend the current literature by examining the relationship between health anxiety and associated constructs (i.e., anxiety symptoms, intolerance of uncertainty, anxiety sensitivity) in children/adolescents with CF. Ten children/adolescents with CF, ages 8 to 21 years (mean age = 10.89, SD = 4.61) completed a battery of measures designed to assess child health anxiety and associated constructs. A significant, positive association (r = .93) was observed between child health anxiety (i.e., CIAS total scores) and the construct of anxiety sensitivity (i.e., CASI total scores). Results demonstrated a statistically significant difference between children/adolescents with CF and normative samples across an aspect of child health anxiety (i.e., CIAS treatment experiences subscale). This is the first study of its kind to examine child health anxiety and associated constructs within a CF population. The knowledge obtained from this study can facilitate an increase in our understanding of the psychological needs of children/adolescents with CF and may aid the development of innovative, tailored interventions aimed at improving overall mental health functioning and quality of life for this population.