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Prevalence and Correlates of Illness Worry in the General Population

Received March 22, 2004; revision received Dec. 13, 2004; accepted Feb. 2, 2005. From the Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA; the Departments of Internal Medicine and Psychiatry and the Regenstrief Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis; the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Iowa City, IA; and the Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Noyes, Psychiatry Research, Medical Education Building, Iowa City, IA 52242-1000; russell-noyes{at}uiowa.edu (e-mail).

The prevalence and correlates of illness worry in the general population were investigated in a representative sample. The authors screened residents of the United States by telephone, and more detailed interviews were conducted with 123 respondents who reported at least 1 month of worry about serious illness in the past 12 months and an equal number of randomly selected persons without such worry. Data on demographic characteristics, medical and psychiatric conditions, functional impairment, and health care utilization were collected. At least 1 month of worry was endorsed by 13.1% of the screened population. Correlates of worry included a cluster of psychiatric conditions (major depressive episode, panic attacks, and generalized anxiety disorder) and three clusters of physical conditions (heart disease, cancer, and other diseases). Worry about serious illness was associated with functional impairment and health care utilization.

Key Words: Hypochondriasis • Prevalence • Correlates • Illness Worry • General Population

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