Elsevier

Journal of Affective Disorders

Volume 294, 1 November 2021, Pages 329-336
Journal of Affective Disorders

Research paper
Predicting PTSS in general population during COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating role of health anxiety

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.07.032Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Highlights

  • Health anxiety and PTSS are more prevalent during COVID-19 pandemic.

  • First study to assess the mediating role of health anxiety when predicting PTSS during COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Health anxiety mediated relationship between sleep problems, fear of getting infected and PTSS.

  • Health anxiety had also a mediated effect between psychiatric history and PTSS symptoms.

  • Screening of health anxiety could be useful to identify individuals with heightened risk of PTSS.

Abstract

Background

Despite health anxiety (HA) is associated with higher incidence of anxiety disorders, no studies have examined the association between this variable and the increased levels of Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms (PTSS) reported during COVID pandemic.

Methods

This study was conducted online between April and May 2020. Data were collected from 468 men and women from the Spanish general population. Sociodemographic and COVID-19-related data, health anxiety, PTSS, fear of becoming infected, social support, sleep problems and past/current psychological/psychiatric history were assessed. The mediating effect of HA when predicting PTSS was explored with mediational analyses. Moderated mediational analyses were also performed to test if receiving psychological treatment during pandemic changes the mediating effect of HA.

Results

Prevalence of PTSS was higher in high-scorers in HA (p<.01). High HA was also more likely to be reported by women, individuals with sleep problems, frequently fear of getting infected, and those who have previously received psychological treatment (p<.01). HA mediates the relationship between PTSS and the following predictors of PTSS: sleep problems, psychiatric history and fear of getting infected. Being under psychological treatment did not moderate the mediating effect of health anxiety.

Limitations

Further longitudinal studies with bigger sample sizes are needed to examine the causal relationship between HA and PTSS after COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that HA could influence the psychological consequences of the pandemic. Screening of HA could be useful to identify people with heightened risk of developing PTSS during pandemic.

Keywords

Coronavirus
Health anxiety
Post-traumatic stress symptoms
Quarantine
COVID-19
Pandemics

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