Childhood and family factors in the development of health anxiety: A systematic review

Health anxiety (HA) is defined as excessive worries focused on one's health. The cognitive-behavioral and the interpersonal models assume an association between childhood experiences and the development of HA. The aim of this review is to identify studies which have investigated the association between childhood and family factors and HA. The literature search was generated in PUBMED, EMBASE, and PsycINFO. 25 papers were included. The results show a trend toward an association between the presentation of HA in adulthood and intergenerational transmission of HA and illness beliefs, illness experiences during childhood, and an anxious attachment style. However, no strong empirical evidence could be determined for any of these factors. Possible directions for future research are discussed.