B - 107 Exploratory Analysis of the Relationship between Health Anxiety (HA) and Neuropsychological Performance in a Validity Controlled Sample of Patients with Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC).

Abstract

Since the emergence of COVID-19, research has consistently indicated cognitive difficulties as a primary complaint after infection (Altuna et al., 2021). It is unclear to what extent these cognitive deficits may be attributable to, or exacerbated by, health anxiety (HA) (Venkataramani et al., 2022). This study explored the relationship between HA and cognition in a performance validity controlled sample of patients with PASC complaints. Participants included patients referred for a focused neuropsychological evaluation for persistent cognitive complaints after COVID infection (N = 19). Participants were excluded for Test of Memory Malingering scores below standard cutoff. The sample mean age was 43years (SD = 12.9), 57.9% were female, and 47.4% were from minority racial/ethnic groups. HA was assessed using the Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI). Cognitive abilities were measured using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV (WAIS-IV: Processing Speed Index [PSI]; Letter-Number Sequencing [LNS]) and Trail Making Test Part-A (TMT-A). Regression analyses were conducted to assess the extent to which HA predicts cognitive performance. The SHAI main subscale significantly predicted TMT-A [β= -3.93, p < 0.01] and WAIS-IV PSI [β= -4.60, p = 0.04]. The SHAI negative consequences subscale significantly predicted TMT-A [β= -4.64, p = 0.04] and WAIS-IV LNS [β= 0.49, p = 0.048]. Findings suggest that general HA predicted PSI, while fear of negative health outcomes predicted LNS. Basic attention abilities were predicted by global HA. Future studies will benefit from evaluating the moderating effect of HA on the relationship between subjective symptom severity and cognition.