Anxious attachment and emotional instability interact to predict health anxiety: An extension of the interpersonal model of health anxiety

Sherry, Dayna L.; Sherry, Simon; Vincent, Nicolle; Stewart, Sherry H.; Hadjistavropoulos, Heather D.; Doucette, Sarah; Hartling, Nikola

doi:10.1016/j.paid.2013.08.025

Cited by 22 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Persons high in neuroticism tend to express more somatic complaints because they interpret bodily sensations as threats (Williams & Wiebe, 2000), and make negative appraisals, overreact to stress, and are introspective, all of which may contribute to health anxiety (Pennebaker & Watson, 1991). As a result, based on prior research (Longley et al, 2005;Noyes et al, 2003;Sherry et al, 2014), neuroticism was expected to be related to health anxiety dimensions. Fourth, the relationship between health anxiety and health care utilization was explored.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Role of Neuroticism and Insecure Attachment in Health Anxiety, Safety-Seeking Behavior Engagement, and Medical Services Utilization

Anagnostopoulos

Botse

2016

Sage Open

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The purpose of this study was to explore an extended interpersonal model of health anxiety, according to which healthanxious individuals are trapped in a vicious circle of health-related reassurance-seeking, alienation from others, and worry about health, while somatic absorption with body sensations, insecure attachment, neuroticism, safety-seeking behaviors, and medical services utilization were also included in the model. Data were collected from 196 Greek university students using standardized instruments. Results indicated that anxious attachment was directly related to absorption (β = .163, p < .05) and alienation (β = .204, p < .05), while avoidant attachment was directly related to absorption (β = −.344, p < .001), reassuranceseeking (β = −.130, p < .05), and alienation (β = .148, p < .05). Neuroticism was positively and significantly associated with all dimensions of health anxiety. Absorption, alienation, and anxious attachment were related to medical services utilization, which, in turn, was related to safety-seeking behaviors (β = .200, p < .01). Neuroticism and anxious attachment were also indirectly and positively associated with worry. Moreover, absorption was positively related to worry and reassuranceseeking, worry was positively related to reassurance-seeking, and alienation was positively related to worry. Study results highlight the key role that interpersonal (e.g., alienation from others) and perceptual factors (e.g., the tendency to focus on bodily sensations) can play in health anxiety maintenance, and the importance of anxious and avoidant attachment in safetyseeking behavior engagement. Implications of the results and suggestions for future research and practice are outlined.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Role of Neuroticism and Insecure Attachment in Health Anxiety, Safety-Seeking Behavior Engagement, and Medical Services Utilization

Anagnostopoulos

Botse

2016

Sage Open

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“…Anagnostopoulos and Botse (2016) described neuroticists as 'worriers' who are constantly preoccupied with things that might go wrong, accompanied with strong emotional reactions of anxiety to those thoughts. Sherry, Sherry, Vincent, Stewart, Hadjistavropoulos, Doucette and Hartling (2014) proposed that neuroticism might be related to health anxiety dimensions, which has implications for the current study.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Big Five Personality Traits influencing Secondary Students' Environmental Literacy in Ondo State, Nigeria

Akomolafe¹

2017

JTTE

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Abstract:The human population growth and technological advancement have spurred radical changes in the global environments that are harmful. Unfortunately, scholars have continued to tackle these environmental problems without paying attention to the personality factors responsible for such phenomena. It is consequent on these that this study investigated the combined and independent effects of big five personality factors namely openness to experience, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism on secondary school students' environmental literacy. A field-based approach was adopted to collect quantitative data through the use of a questionnaire from 462 secondary school students that were randomly selected in thirteen secondary schools in Ondo State, Nigeria. Multiple regression statistical analysis utilized showed that the independent variables were effective predictors of secondary school students' environmental literacy. These findings were limited to subjects in thirteen secondary schools in Ondo State, Nigeria, as well as the personality factors investigated. These findings provided evidence on the need for secondary school teachers, counselling and educational psychologists in Nigeria to utilize environmental education and appropriate guidance approaches to mitigate the personality factors responsible for environmental problems.

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“…One advantage of the present methodology was that it allowed for a simultaneous investigation of relations among cognitive fusion, health anxiety, and several relevant covariates, which was deemed to be an important analysis given the current state of the literature. However, for practical reasons, other covariates were not assessed, including alexithymia (Taylor & Asmundson, 2004), attachment insecurities (Sherry et al, 2014), rumination (Marcus, Hughes, & Arnau, 2008), and somatosensory amplification (Barsky, Wyshak, & Klerman, 1990). Recent life stressors were also not assessed, which is an additional covariate of potential interest.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

I Really Believe I Suffer From a Health Problem: Examining an Association Between Cognitive Fusion and Healthy Anxiety

Fergus

2015

J. Clin. Psychol.

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Anxious attachment and emotional instability interact to predict health anxiety: An extension of the interpersonal model of health anxiety

Cited by 22 publications

References 24 publications

Exploring the Role of Neuroticism and Insecure Attachment in Health Anxiety, Safety-Seeking Behavior Engagement, and Medical Services Utilization

Exploring the Role of Neuroticism and Insecure Attachment in Health Anxiety, Safety-Seeking Behavior Engagement, and Medical Services Utilization

Big Five Personality Traits influencing Secondary Students' Environmental Literacy in Ondo State, Nigeria

I Really Believe I Suffer From a Health Problem: Examining an Association Between Cognitive Fusion and Healthy Anxiety

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