OCCURRENCE AND PATTERN OF ILLNESS ANXIETY DISORDER AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS OF KERALA

Abstract

Background: Illness anxiety disorder previously known as hypochondriasis is an unrealistic fear of having a serious medical condition or fear being at high risk of becoming ill. Illness anxiety is common among medical students due to the vast amount of medical knowledge they acquire during studies and exposure to new clinical experiences and competitive environment. Students misinterpret typical body functions as signs of illness and these anxieties result in distress among them which interfere with their academic performance and mental well-being. This study is intended to nd out the prevalence of illness anxiety disorder among medical students in a private medical college in Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala. A cross sectional study was conducted among the medical students Methods: of a private medical college in Thiruvananthapuram. Students from all academic years including internship were included in the study. Calculated sample size was 554. Illness attitude scale containing 29 items was used to assess the illness anxiety. The total score of the scale is 108 and cut-off of 47 and above diagnosed as illness anxiety disorder. Results: Among 554 students participated 102 (18.41%, 95% CI :15.3- 21.9) was found to have illness anxiety disorder. Anxiety is found to be more among students of preclinical and paraclinical years than clinical years. There is a signicant association between year of study and illness anxiety with p value= 0.001. Illness anxiety affects day to day life causing distress in 47(8.48%) of students. In this study about Conclusion: 18.41% of medical students is found to suffer from illness anxiety disorder. All medical students should be made aware of illness anxiety disorders which can occur during their learning process. Medical Curriculum for undergraduates should include educational sessions to counteract such ideas and fears by incorporating different coping techniques and counselling.