Touraj Hashemi Nosrat Abad
1 
, Majid Mahmoud Alilou
1 , Zahra Yousefi Kalekhaneh
1,2* 1 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
2 Aging Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Abstract
Background. Illness anxiety disorder (IAD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders. Despite the high prevalence of this disorder, there are few studies and many unknown issues about it. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the role of childhood traumatic experiences, attachment styles, and metacognitive beliefs in predicting the symptoms of IAD.
Methods. In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 395 students (71 male, 324 female) of the University of Tabriz with associate, bachelor, master, and Ph.D. degrees were selected through the available sampling method. The questionnaires used in this research included the Whiteley Index to measure illness anxiety, the metacognitive beliefs questionnaire (MCQ-30), the checklist of traumatic life experiences to evaluate childhood traumatic experiences, and the experiences in close relationships- a revised form to evaluate attachment styles. Participants completed the questionnaires after obtaining the necessary permits and checking the inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Results. The average age of men was 27.2 ± 8.54 and women 25.24 ± 6.84. Pearson Correlation coefficients showed that traumatic childhood experiences 0.289 (P<0.01), anxious attachment 0.402 (P<0.01), and metacognitive beliefs 0.418 (P<0.01) have significant positive correlations with illness anxiety. Also, based on the results of simultaneous multiple regression analysis, research variables predicted 29% of the changes in symptoms of IAD significantly. Furthermore, childhood traumatic experiences, anxious attachment, and metacognitive beliefs with Beta coefficients of 0.22, 0.18, and 0.27 can significantly predict the changes related to IAD symptoms.
Conclusion. Different interpersonal and metacognitive factors can play a role in IAD symptoms, but various studies such as causality and experimental studies are needed to investigate the role of different factors in IAD symptoms.
Extended Abstract
Background
Illness anxiety disorder (IAD), is characterized by preoccupation with having or contracting a serious illness. Research has suggested that various factors including interpersonal, cognitive, and metacognitive play important roles in the etiology of this disorder. In addition to personal suffering, this disorder has high costs due to the use of medical services. It seems that research on understanding the mechanisms of etiology and maintenance of IAD is very important. Despite the recognition of this disorder, there are few studies in this area and we have little information on it. Therefore, it is hoped that by enriching the knowledge of the etiology of IAD, a step will be taken toward the treatment of this disorder. This study aimed to investigate the role of childhood traumatic experiences, attachment styles, and metacognitive beliefs in predicting the symptoms of IAD.
Methods
The population of this cross-sectional study was students of the University of Tabriz in all fields and levels from October 2021 to September 2022. The study sample included 395 students who were selected by the available sampling method. The inclusion criteria were being at least 18 years old, not having a serious mental disorder, studying at the University of Tabriz, and being able to give informed consent to participate in the study. Taking psychiatric drugs and not completing the questionnaires were considered exclusion criteria. Initially, the necessary explanations were given to the participants, including the confidentiality of the information, and after obtaining informed consent, the participants completed the questionnaires. The study tools were Whiteley Index, Metacognitive Questionnaire, Traumatic Experience Checklist, and Experiences in Close Relationships-a revised form. Data analysis was done by SPSS V.23 software.
Results
The research sample included 395 university students (71 men (18%) and 324 women (82%)). The average age of men was 27.2 ±8.54 and the average age of women was 25.24±6.84. Based on the results of multiple regression analysis, 29% of the variance of symptoms of IAD was explained by childhood traumatic experiences, attachment styles, and metacognitive beliefs. Also, according to the Beta values, the childhood traumatic experiences (β: 0.22), anxious attachment (β: 0.18), and metacognitive beliefs (β: 0.27) were able to predict the changes of IAD symptoms.
Conclusion
The results of this study showed that childhood traumatic experiences, anxious attachment, and metacognitive beliefs have a relationship with IAD symptoms. The findings were in line with the results of previous studies. This was one of the primary studies that investigated the relationship between several variables from different approaches (interpersonal and metacognition) in IAD. This study identified considerable factors for the evaluation and treatment of IAD. The examined variables were only some of the possible variables related to IAD symptoms, thus it is necessary to investigate other variables involved in this disorder and explore other mediating factors.