Assessment of Factors Associated With Perceived Health Anxiety Among Health Profession Medical Students in the Central Region of Saudi Arabia: A Cross‐Sectional Study
Eman Dawood, Agnes Monica, Alyia Abdullah, Ghada Alalyani, Nada Alzhrani, Fai Alqahtani, Ghadeer Bin Ali, Hanaa Abo SheredaABSTRACT
Background and Aims
Health anxiety may affect and impair well‐being, reassurance‐seeking behavior, healthcare use, and academic functioning among health profession medical students. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of clinically significant health anxiety and examine sociodemographic, academic, and health‐related factors associated with Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI) scores among health profession students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Methods
A cross‐sectional study was conducted at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, during January–March 2024. Using a convenience sampling technique, an anonymous online questionnaire was completed by 424 students aged 18 years or older, and it included demographic and background characteristics and the 18‐item SHAI, in which clinically significant health anxiety was defined as SHAI score ≥ 27. Descriptive and analytical statistics were applied, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant.
Results
The 424 participants reported a mean age of 20.92 ± 2.07 years, and 351/424 were female (82.8%). The 18‐item SHAI showed good reliability with Cronbach's α of 88.3. Clinically significant health anxiety was identified in 77/424 students (18.2%; 95%CI, 14.8%–22.1%). Higher mean SHAI scores were observed among females, students with previous medical or mental health conditions, occasional smokers, students with a first‐degree relative doctor, and students reporting physician visits. In adjusted logistic regression, clinically significant health anxiety was independently associated with choosing college because of a close relative's medical/mental health condition (OR = 2.98; 95%CI, 1.03–8.65; p = 0.044), occasional smoking (OR = 4.21; 95% CI, 1.24–14.26; p = 0.021), previous medical or mental condition (OR = 2.10; 95%CI, 1.10–4.00; p = 0.024), and (OR = 2.61; 95%CI, 1.35–5.04; p = 0.004) respectively.
Conclusion
The clinically significant health anxiety was prevalent with nearly one in five health profession students reported clinically significant health anxiety. The findings highlight the need for student‐centered screening, counseling, and longitudinal research.