Introspective Awareness and Its Predictive Power on Health Anxiety: A Cross-sectional Study

Sefa Bulut; Nadereh Saadati; Saeed Abdullah Al-Dossary; Olga Coelho; Mehdi Rostami; Kamdin Parsakia; Zohreh Zadhasn; Seyed Hadi Seyed Ali Tabar; Parichehr Mehdi Abadi

Journal of Research & Health (Jan 2025)

Introspective Awareness and Its Predictive Power on Health Anxiety: A Cross-sectional Study

Sefa Bulut,
Nadereh Saadati,
Saeed Abdullah Al-Dossary,
Olga Coelho,
Mehdi Rostami,
Kamdin Parsakia,
Zohreh Zadhasn,
Seyed Hadi Seyed Ali Tabar,
Parichehr Mehdi Abadi

Affiliations

Sefa Bulut: Department of Counseling Psychology, School of Education, Counseling Center, Ibn Haldun University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Nadereh Saadati: Department of Psychology and Counseling, KMAN Research Institute, Richmond Hill, Canada.
Saeed Abdullah Al-Dossary: Department of Psychology, College of Education, University of Ha’il, Ha’il, Saudi Arabi.
Olga Coelho: Faculty of Psychology, Research Center for Psychological Science CICPSI), University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
Mehdi Rostami: Department of Psychology and Counseling, KMAN Research Institute, Richmond Hill, Canada.
Kamdin Parsakia: Department of Counseling Psychology, School of Education, Counseling Center, Ibn Haldun University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Zohreh Zadhasn: Department of Counseling Psychology, School of Education, Counseling Center, Ibn Haldun University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Seyed Hadi Seyed Ali Tabar: Department of Counseling Psychology, School of Education, Counseling Center, Ibn Haldun University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Parichehr Mehdi Abadi: Department of Psychology, School of Psychology, University of East London, London, UK.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 15, no. 1
pp. 71 – 80

Abstract

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has precipitated widespread health anxiety, affecting populations globally. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between introspective awareness and health anxiety levels. Methods: Employing a cross-sectional design and the convenience sampling method, 350 residents of Richmond Hill, Canada, with an age of 18 and above participated in this study in 2023. Health anxiety was assessed using the health anxiety inventory (HAI), while introspective awareness was measured via the multidimensional assessment of interoceptive awareness (MAIA), encompassing eight subscales. Pearson correlation coefficient and linear regression analysis were used to explore the predictive relationships between introspective awareness components and health anxiety. Results: The participants exhibited a slight female predominance (53.43%), diverse age distribution, and the majority had post-secondary education (81.43%). Noticing (r=-0.45, P0.05). The regression model revealed that these components significantly predicted health anxiety levels, accounting for approximately 42% of the variance (R2=0.42, F(2, 347)=48.35, P<0.001). Specifically, increases in noticing and emotional awareness were associated with decreases in health anxiety scores (B=-3.45 and B=-4.12, respectively; P<0.001). Conclusion: Enhancing aspects of introspective awareness, such as noticing and emotional awareness, could be crucial in developing interventions aimed at reducing health anxiety in pandemic conditions and beyond.

Published in Journal of Research & Health

ISSN: 2423-5717 (Online)
Publisher: Gonabad University of Medical Sciences
Country of publisher: Iran, Islamic Republic of
LCC subjects: Medicine: Public aspects of medicine
Website: http://www.jrh.gmu.ac.ir

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Abstract

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