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The Short Health Anxiety Inventory and Multidimensional Inventory of Hypochondriacal Traits: A Comparison of Two Self-Report Measures of Health Anxiety

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Abstract

Using data from a large nonclinical sample (N = 503), the current study examined the convergence and utility of the Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI; Salkovskis et al., in Psychol Med 32:843–853, 2002) and the Multidimensional Inventory of Hypochondriacal Traits (MIHT; Longley et al., in Psychol Assess 17: 3–14, 2005). Results from a higher-order measurement model indicated that the SHAI and the MIHT factors were distinguishable and generally shared significant intercorrelations. The affective factor of the SHAI and the MIHT shared the strongest convergence and the MIHT cognitive factor clustered with both affective factors. Further, a higher-order health anxiety factor adequately accounted for SHAI-MIHT factor intercorrelations, with the affective and cognitive factors of the SHAI and the MIHT loading strongest upon the higher-order factor. Finally, only the affective and cognitive SHAI and MIHT scales incrementally contributed—beyond general distress and the other SHAI and MIHT scales—in regression analyses predicting medical utilization and somatic symptoms. Implications for the conceptualization and assessment of health anxiety are discussed.

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Notes

  1. 23.6% (105/445) of participants scored at or above the SHAI total scale cutoff score of 18, which includes item 13 of the SHAI in its computation, suggested by Rode et al. (2006) to identify individuals with clinically elevated HC symptoms. Such scores suggest that a number of respondents experienced phenomena relevant to HC in the current study. The mean SHAI total scale score was 13.1 (SD = 6.9) in the current study.

  2. The average completely standardized factor loadings were as follows: SHAI-illness likelihood = .54 (range = .17–.68); SHAI-illness severity = .63 (range = .52–.69); MIHT-alienation = .70 (range = .49–.78); MIHT-reassurance = .59 (range = .31–.69); MIHT- absorption = .56 (range = .39–.69); MIHT-worry = .63 (range = .52–.77). Complete listings of these factor loadings are available upon request. Although items 2 and 3 of the SHAI had loadings below conventional guidelines for salient loadings on the SHAI-illness likelihood factor (e.g., below .30; Brown 2006), these items were retained to allow for greater comparability of the current results with other studies using the SHAI.

  3. The average completely standardized factor loadings on the first-order factors in the higher-order model were as follows: SHAI—illness likelihood = .54 (range = .19–.67); SHAI—illness severity = .64 (range = .52–.68); MIHT—alienation = .70 (range = .48–.78); MIHT—reassurance = .60 (range = .32–.70); MIHT—absorption = .56 (range = .40–.69); MIHT—worry = .63 (range = .52–.77). Complete listings of these factor loadings are available upon request.

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  1. Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, 60115, USA

    Thomas A. Fergus & David P. Valentiner

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  1. Thomas A. Fergus
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  2. David P. Valentiner
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Correspondence to David P. Valentiner.

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Fergus, T.A., Valentiner, D.P. The Short Health Anxiety Inventory and Multidimensional Inventory of Hypochondriacal Traits: A Comparison of Two Self-Report Measures of Health Anxiety. Cogn Ther Res 35, 566–574 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-011-9354-2

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