När oro blir sjukdom; En meta-analys om hälsoångestens utveckling hos universitetsstudenter

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this meta-analysis was to shed light on the phenomenon of health anxiety, and more specifically to investigate whether the general levels of health anxiety has increased over the past three decades. Previous research in this area has speculated whether an increase exists, although without actual empirical evidence. The purpose of this study was to be a part of the empirical evidence required to make more secure statements about the phenomenon of health anxiety and its development over time. The material used in this study consisted of previously published data. A non-clinical sample of university students was used and considered to be an adequate representation of the levels of health anxiety in the general population. A linear regression model was used to analyse the development of health anxiety over time. The independent variable consisted of the publication years from previous studies, and the dependent variable consisted of a converted average value from the health anxiety levels of the matching student samples. In the present study no significant increase in health anxiety was found. However, several leading researchers in the field are convinced that there has been an increase in health anxiety during the last decades. With this in mind, as well as the possible limitations of the study, it is recommended that further and more extensive research in the field should be carried out in the future.