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Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Health Anxiety: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 February 2017

Kate Cooper Open the ORCID record for Kate Cooper [Opens in a new window] ,
James D. Gregory ,
Ian Walker ,
Sinead Lambe  and
Paul M. Salkovskis
Kate Cooper
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY
James D. Gregory
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY
Ian Walker
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY
Sinead Lambe
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY
Paul M. Salkovskis
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY
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Abstract

Background: Health anxiety (HA), or hypochondriasis, is a psychological problem characterized by a preoccupation with the belief that one is physically unwell. A 2007 Cochrane review (Thomson and Page, 2007) found cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to be an effective intervention for individuals with HA. Similar findings were reported in a recent meta-analysis (Olatunji et al., 2014), which did not employ a systematic search strategy. The current review aimed to investigate the efficacy of CBT for HA, and to update the existing reviews. Method: A systematic search was conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidance, including randomized controlled trials that compared CBT with a control condition for people with HA. Five hundred and sixty-seven studies were found in the original search, of which 14 were included in the meta-analysis. Results: Meta-analysis was conducted on 21 comparisons and a large effect size for CBT compared with a control condition was found at post therapy d = 1.01 (95% confidence interval 0.77–1.25), as well as at 6- and 12-month follow-up. Conclusions: This systematic review and meta-analysis provides support for the hypothesis that CBT is an effective intervention for HA when compared with a variety of control conditions, e.g. treatment-as-usual, waiting list, medication, and other psychological therapies.

Keywords

Hypochondriasishealth anxietycognitive behavioural therapysystematic reviewmeta-analysis
Type
Accelerated Publication
Information
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy , Volume 45 , Issue 2 , March 2017 , pp. 110 - 123
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2017 

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