Effect of alexithymia on health anxiety: Mediating role of cognition and meta-cognition

Abstract

According to the cognitive behavior theory and meta-cognitive theory of health anxiety, to examine the association between alexithymia, cognition factors or meta-cognition factors and health anxiety. Methods: A total of 1 164 medical students were investigated by the Short Health Anxiety Inventory, the Health Cognitions Questionnaire, the Meta-cognitions about Health Questionnaire and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Results: 1) Correlation analysis showed that alexithymia, dysfunctional beliefs, meta-cognition were significantly positively correlated with health anxiety (r=0.227-0.477, all P<0.01); 2) The results of structural equation model indicated that alexithymia could not exert effects on health anxiety directly (β=-0.05, 95% CI -0.123 to 0.021). The alexithymia could exert effects on health anxiety indirectly not only through dysfunctional beliefs (β=0.192, 95% CI 0.156 to 0.235), but also through the chain-mediated effect of dysfunctional beliefs and meta-cognitions (β=0.103, 95% CI 0.077 to 0.135). Dysfunctional beliefs fully mediated the relation between alexithymia and health anxiety (β=0.247, 95% CI 0.196 to 0.290). Conclusion: Alexithymia can affect health anxiety through the mediating effects of dysfunctional beliefs and meta-cognition.