The relationship between childhood health anxiety, parent health anxiety, and associated constructs

The purpose of the present investigation was to explore the relationship between self-reported childhood health anxiety and self-reported parent health anxiety and associated constructs. Participants were 77 children (8-15 years) and one parent or guardian of each child. Children completed a measure of health anxiety and parents completed measures of health anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, and depression. Results demonstrated a significant association between child health anxiety and all measures of self-reported parent measures, with the exception of the measure of anxiety sensitivity. No self-reported parent measures independently predicted child health anxiety. Future directions and implications are discussed.