A preliminary study of worry and metacognitions in hypochondriasis

✍ Scribed by Theo K. Bouman; Karin J. Meijer

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 128 KB
• Volume: 6
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1063-3995
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-0879(199905)6:2<96::aid-cpp190>3.0.co;2-g

✦ Synopsis

It was investigated whether hypochondriasis is characterized by either a general or a more content-specific tendency to worry and to engage in meta-worry (i.e. beliefs about worries). In samples of hypochondriacal patients (n 14), matched healthy controls (n 25) and psychology students (n 122) questionnaires were administered to assess hypochondriasis, the process and content of worrying, and both general and illness-related meta-worry. The results show that hypochondriacal patients tend to worry more about illness-related topics but not about general issues. Hypochondriasis as a dimension is best predicted by specific meta-worries about lack of control over thoughts about illness, as well as a cognitive self-consciousness. The findings suggest the existence of disorder-specific meta-worries.