Association between health anxiety dimensions and preventive behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic among Japanese healthcare workers
Kentaro Nagao,
Takuya Yoshiike,
Ryo Okubo,
Kentaro Matsui,
Aoi Kawamura,
Muneto Izuhara,
Tomohiro Utsumi,
Megumi Hazumi,
Mio Shinozaki,
Ayumi Tsuru,
Yohei Sasaki,
Kazuyoshi Takeda,
Hirofumi Komaki,
Hideki Oi,
Yoshiharu Kim,
Kenichi Kuriyama,
Hidehiko Takahashi,
Takeshi Miyama,
Kazuyuki Nakagome
Affiliations
Kentaro Nagao
Department of Sleep-Wake Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan; Department of Psychiatry, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8510, Japan
Takuya Yoshiike
Department of Sleep-Wake Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan
Ryo Okubo
Clinical Research & Education Promotion Division, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan
Kentaro Matsui
Department of Sleep-Wake Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan; Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan
Aoi Kawamura
Department of Sleep-Wake Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan
Muneto Izuhara
Department of Sleep-Wake Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan; Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan
Tomohiro Utsumi
Department of Sleep-Wake Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan
Megumi Hazumi
Department of Sleep-Wake Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan
Mio Shinozaki
Department of Sleep-Wake Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan
Ayumi Tsuru
Department of Sleep-Wake Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan; Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan
Yohei Sasaki
Clinical Research & Education Promotion Division, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan
Kazuyoshi Takeda
Clinical Research & Education Promotion Division, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan
Hirofumi Komaki
Clinical Research & Education Promotion Division, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan
Hideki Oi
Clinical Research & Education Promotion Division, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan
Yoshiharu Kim
Department of Behavioral Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan
Kenichi Kuriyama
Department of Sleep-Wake Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan; Corresponding author.
Hidehiko Takahashi
Department of Sleep-Wake Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8510, Japan
Takeshi Miyama
Department of Surgery, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan
Kazuyuki Nakagome
Department of Psychiatry, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan
Objective: Health anxiety (HA), defined as excessive worry about having a serious medical condition, may affect preventive behaviors during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We examined the distinct role of two dimensions of HA—perceived likelihood (probability dimension) and awfulness of illness (awfulness dimension)—in self-protection, as reflected in preventive behaviors during the pandemic. Methods: Participants comprised 657 healthcare workers. Data were collected between February 24 and 26, 2021. The Short Health Anxiety Inventory determined the HA dimensions. Adherence to the government's recommendations for COVID-19 preventive behaviors was self-rated. An independent association between each HA dimension and participants' adherence to the recommendations was examined using multivariable regression. Results: Within the analyzed sample of 560 subjects, severe HA was observed in 9.1 %. The more the participants felt awful, the less frequently they engaged in the recommended preventive behaviors (adjusted odds ratio = 0.993, 95 % confidence interval: 0.989, 0.998, p = 0.003) regardless of their profession, working position, psychological distress, sleep disturbance, and current physical diseases. However, the probability dimension was not associated with their preventive behaviors. Conclusion: The awfulness dimension of HA could be a more sensitive marker of preventive behaviors than the probability dimension. Paying particular attention to the awfulness dimension may help optimize self-protection strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. A two-dimensional understanding of HA may be useful for the maintenance of the healthcare system and public health as well as healthcare workers’ own health.
