SavedAdd your journal

Journals / Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 28 Sayı: 2

THE EXAMINATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DETERMINANTS OF ILLNESS ANXIETY IN CHILDREN AGED 10-15

10-15 YAŞ ARASI ÇOCUKLARDA HASTALIK KAYGISININ PSİKOLOJİK BELİRLEYİCİLERİNİN İNCELENMESİ

Zekeriya Deniz Aktan(IŞIK ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0003-1757-2024
Pages
606–631
Publication Date
2026-06-15
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Additionally, studies should consider how these insights can be effectively applied in clinical practice to address illness anxiety in pediatric populations.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:Illness anxiety is defined as an excessive worry about having or developing a serious health problem, often accompanied by illness avoidance behaviors.
📊
Key Findings & Data:The study sample consists of 334 children aged 10-15 and their mothers.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:Additionally, studies should consider how these insights can be effectively applied in clinical practice to address illness anxiety in pediatric populations.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Çocuklarda Hastalık Kaygısı · Yaşam Kalitesi · Bilinçli Farkındalık

Abstract

Illness anxiety is defined as an excessive worry about having or developing a serious health problem, often accompanied by illness avoidance behaviors. Although illness anxiety is widely studied as a component of anxiety in both national and international literature, research specifically focusing on children remains limited. The study sample consists of 334 children aged 10-15 and their mothers. Correlation analysis revealed significant relationships between illness anxiety in children and psychosocial factors, including somatization symptoms, suppression strategies (a subscale of emotion regulation skills), child anxiety, maternal illness anxiety, quality of life, and mindfulness levels. Moreover, regression analysis revealed that maternal illness anxiety, children’s quality of life, and children’s general anxiety levels are significant predictors of childhood illness anxiety. Given the diverse range of psychosocial factors that may influence illness anxiety in children, future research should undertake an in-depth examination of these factors. Additionally, studies should consider how these insights can be effectively applied in clinical practice to address illness anxiety in pediatric populations.

Özet

Hastalık kaygısı alan yazında hastalıktan kaçınma ve sağlıklı olmaya yönelik gösterilen aşırı zihinsel meşguliyet olarak tanımlanmaktadır. Hem ulusal hem de uluslararası alan yazında hastalık kaygısı, kaygı bileşenlerinden biri olarak araştırılan önemli değişkenlerden biridir. Örneklemini 10-15 yaş aralığında 334 çocuk ve annesinin oluşturduğu araştırmanın regresyon ve korelasyon analizi sonuçlarına göre çocuklardaki hastalık kaygısı ile somatizasyon belirtileri, duygu düzenleme becerileri bastırma stratejileri alt ölçeği, çocuk kaygısı, annelerin hastalık kaygısı, yaşam kalitesi ve bilinçli farkındalık düzeyleri arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı ilişkiler görülmüş; buna ek olarak çocukların yaşam kalitesi, genel çocuk kaygısı ve annelerde görülen hastalık kaygısının, çocuklarda görülen hastalık kaygısı değişkeni ile anlamlı düzeyde ilişkili olduğu görülmüştür. Bu araştırmadan elde edilen sonuçlar değerlendirildiğinde, çocuklarda görülen hastalık kaygısı üzerinde etkin olabilecek psikososyal faktörlerin çeşitliliği göz önüne alınarak, gelecek araştırmaların çocuklarda hastalık kaygısını etkileyen faktörleri derinlemesine inceleyerek, söz konusu sonuçların klinik pratiğe nasıl yansıtılacağına odaklanmaları önerilmektedir.

🔖

Cite This Article

Aktan, Z. D. (2026). THE EXAMINATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DETERMINANTS OF ILLNESS ANXIETY IN CHILDREN AGED 10-15. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, Cilt: 28 Sayı: 2, 606–631. https://doi.org/10.16953/deusosbil.1815190

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (59)

  1. Aktan, Z. D., İnci İzmir, S. B., Ünlü, B., & Kahraman, İ. S. Y. (2025). Turkish validity and reliability study of the Childhood Illness Attitude Scale. Children’s Health Care, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/02739615.2025.2472771
  2. Aktar, E., Nikolić, M., & Bögels, S. M. (2017). Environmental transmission of generalized anxiety disorder from parents to children: Worries, experiential avoidance, and intolerance of uncertainty. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 19(2), 137–147. https://doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2017.19.2/eaktar
  3. Baer, R. A. (2003). Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2), 125–143. https://doi.org/10.1093/clipsy.bpg015
  4. Birmaher, B., Brent, D. A., Chiappetta, L., Bridge, J., Monga, S., & Baugher, M. (1999). Psychometric properties of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED): A replication study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 38(10), 1230–1236. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-199910000-00011
  5. Breaux, R. P., Harvey, E. A., & Lugo-Candelas, C. (2014). The role of parent psychopathology in the development of preschool children with behavior problems. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 43(5), 777–790. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2013.836451
  6. Büyüköztürk, Ş., Çokluk, Ö., & Köklü, N. (2019). Sosyal bilimler için istatistik. Pegem Akademi.
  7. Campo, J. V., Jansen-McWilliams, L., Comer, D. M., & Kelleher, K. J. (1999). Somatization in pediatric primary care: Association with psychopathology, functional impairment, and use of services. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 38(9), 1093–1101. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-199909000-00012
  8. Carsley, D., Heath, N. L., Gomez-Garibello, C., & Mills, D. J. (2017). The importance of mindfulness in explaining the relationship between adolescents’ anxiety and dropout intentions. School Mental Health: A Multidisciplinary Research and Practice Journal, 9(1), 78–86. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-016-9196-x
  9. Ciułkowicz, M., Misiak, B., Szcześniak, D., Grzebieluch, J., Maciaszek, J., & Rymaszewska, J. (2022). Social support mediates the association between health anxiety and quality of life: Findings from a cross-sectional study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), 12962. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912962
  10. Cotton, S., Luberto, C. M., Sears, R. W., Strawn, J. R., Stahl, L., Wasson, R. S., Blom, T. J., & Delbello, M. P. (2016). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for youth with anxiety disorders at risk for bipolar disorder: A pilot trial. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 10(5), 426–434. https://doi.org/10.1111/eip.12216
  11. Craske, M. G., & Stein, M. B. (2016). Anxiety. Lancet, 388(10063), 3048–3059. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30381-6
  12. Çakın Memik, N., Ağaoğlu, B., & Coşkun, A. (2008). Çocuklar İçin Yaşam Kalitesi Ölçeğinin 8–12 yaş Çocuk Formunun geçerlik ve güvenirliği. Turkish Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 15(2), 87–98.
  13. Çakın Memik, N., Ağaoğlu, B., Coşkun, A., Üneri, Ö. Ş., & Karakaya, I. (2007). Çocuklar İçin Yaşam Kalitesi Ölçeğinin 13–18 yaş Ergen Formunun geçerlik ve güvenilirliği. Türk Psikiyatri Dergisi, 18(4), 353–363.
  14. Çakmakçı, F. (2004). Çocuklarda Anksiyete Bozukluklarını Tarama Ölçeği geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması [Yayınlanmamış uzmanlık tezi]. Kocaeli Üniversitesi.
  15. Çıkrıkçı, Ö. (2016). Çocuk ve Ergenler İçin Bilinçlilik Ölçeği Türkçe Formunun geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması. Kastamonu Eğitim Dergisi, 24(2), 905–916.
  16. Demiriz, S., & Ulutaş, İ. (2003). 9–12 yaş çocuklarının kaygı düzeylerinin bazı değişkenlere göre incelenmesi. Ege Eğitim Dergisi, 3(1), 1-9.
  17. Fernandes, M. D. S. V., Mendonça, C. R., da Silva, T. M. V., Noll, P. R. E. S., de Abreu, L. C., & Noll, M. (2023). Relationship between depression and quality of life among students: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 6715. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-33584-3
  18. Franco, C., Mañas, I., Cangas, A. J., & Gallego, J. (2011). Exploring the effects of a mindfulness program for students of secondary school. International Journal of Knowledge Society Research, 2(1), 14–28. https://doi.org/10.4018/jksr.2011010102
  19. Furer, P., Walker, J. R., & Stein, M. B. (2007). Health anxiety and somatization in children. İçinde P. Furer, J. R. Walker, ve M. B. Stein (Der./Ed.), Treating health anxiety and fear of death (s. 199–211). Springer.
  20. Garmiene, A., Zemaitiene, N., & Zaborskis, A. (2006). Family time, parental behaviour model and the initiation of smoking and alcohol use by ten-year-old children: An epidemiological study in Kaunas, Lithuania. BMC Public Health, 6, 287. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-6-287
  21. Greco, L. A., Baer, R. A., & Smith, G. T. (2011). Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). Psychological Assessment, 23(3), 606–614. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022819
  22. Gross, J. J. (2002). Emotion regulation: Affective, cognitive, and social consequences. Psychophysiology, 39(3), 281–291. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0048577201393198
  23. Gross, J. J., & John, O. P. (2003). Individual differences in two emotion regulation processes: Implications for affect, relationships, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85(2), 348–362. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.85.2.348
  24. Gullone, E., & Taffe, J. (2012). The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (ERQ–CA): A psychometric evaluation. Psychological Assessment, 24(2), 409–417. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025777
  25. Güleç, H. (2012). Psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Scale for the Assessment of Illness Behaviour (SAIB): A preliminary study. Dusunen Adam: The Journal of Psychiatry and Neurological Sciences, 25(2), 140–146. https://doi.org/10.5350/DAJPN2012250206
  26. Hyphantis, T., Tomenson, B., Paika, V., Almyroudi, A., Pappa, C., Tsifetaki, N., Voulgari, P. V., Drosos, A. A., Pavlidis, N., & Creed, F. (2009). Somatization is associated with physical health-related quality of life independent of anxiety and depression in cancer, glaucoma and rheumatological disorders. Quality of Life Research, 18(8), 1029–1042. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-009-9527-6
  27. Jankowski, T., & Bąk, W. (2019). Mindfulness as a mediator of the relationship between trait anxiety, attentional control and cognitive failures: A multimodel inference approach. Personality and Individual Differences, 142, 62–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2019.01.034
  28. Kadıoğlu, H., Sişman, F. N., & Ergün, A. (2012). Reliability and validity of the Turkish version of Children’s Somatization Inventory. Asian Nursing Research, 6(1), 9–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anr.2012.02.004
  29. Kozancıoğlu, G. (2012). Çocukların anksiyete düzeyleri ile annelerin tutumları arasındaki ilişki. Psikoloji Çalışmaları, 14, 83–103.
  30. Leach, L. S., Butterworth, P., Olesen, S. C., & Mackinnon, A. (2013). Relationship quality and levels of depression and anxiety in a large population-based survey. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 48(3), 417–425. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-012-0559-9
  31. Leijten, P., Gardner, F., Melendez-Torres, G. J., van Aar, J., Hutchings, J., Schulz, S., Knerr, W., & Overbeek, G. (2019). Meta-analyses: Key parenting program components for disruptive child behavior. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 58(2), 180–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2018.07.900
  32. Llewelyn-Williams, J. (2018). The relationship between child and parent health anxiety and associated constructs in children and adolescents with congenital heart defects [Yayınlanmamış lisans tezi]. University of Regina.
  33. Newby, J. M., Hobbs, M. J., Mahoney, A. E. J., Wong, S. K., & Andrews, G. (2017). DSM-5 illness anxiety disorder and somatic symptom disorder: Comorbidity, correlates, and overlap with DSM-IV hypochondriasis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 101, 31–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2017.07.010
  34. Nicol-Harper, R., Harvey, A. G., & Stein, A. (2007). Interactions between mothers and infants: Impact of maternal anxiety. Infant Behavior and Development, 30(1), 161–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2006.08.005
  35. Piaget, J. (1971). The theory of stages in cognitive development. McGraw-Hill.
  36. Rajaniti, M., Kendhawati, L., & Moeliono, M. F. (2022). The relationship between health anxiety and quality of life in adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Daengku: Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Innovation, 2(6), 830–835. https://doi.org/10.35877/454RI.daengku1329
  37. Reiser, S. J., McMillan, K. A., Wright, K. D., & Asmundson, G. J. (2014). Adverse childhood experiences and health anxiety in adulthood. Child Abuse ve Neglect, 38(3), 407–413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2013.08.007
  38. Reiser, S. J., Oliver, A. M., Power, H. A., & Wright, K. D. (2019). Health anxiety and emotion regulation in children and adolescents: Is there a relationship? Children’s Health Care, 49(2), 168–183. https://doi.org/10.1080/02739615.2019.1629297
  39. Rief, W., & Broadbent, E. (2007). Explaining medically unexplained symptoms—models and mechanisms. Clinical Psychology Review, 27(7), 821–841. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2007.07.005
  40. Rief, W., Ihle, D., & Pilger, F. (2003). A new approach to assess illness behaviour. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 54(5), 405–414. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-3999(02)00401-4
  41. Salkovskis, P. M., & Warwick, H. M. (2001). Meaning, misinterpretations, and medicine: A cognitive-behavioral approach to understanding health anxiety and hypochondriasis. İçinde V. Starcevic ve D. R. Lipsitt (Der./Ed.), Health anxiety: Clinical and research perspectives on hypochondriasis and related conditions (s. 202–222). Oxford University Press.
  42. Sharma, P. K., & Kumra, R. (2022). Relationship between mindfulness, depression, anxiety and stress: Mediating role of self-efficacy. Personality and Individual Differences, 186, 111363. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.111363
  43. Starcevic, V. (2013). Hypochondriasis and health anxiety: Conceptual challenges. British Journal of Psychiatry, 202(1), 7–8. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.112.115402
  44. Suveg, C., & Zeman, J. (2004). Emotion regulation in children with anxiety disorders. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 33(4), 750–759. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15374424jccp3304_10
  45. Svestkova, A., Kvardova, N., & Smahel, D. (2024). Health anxiety in adolescents: The roles of online health information seeking and parental health anxiety. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 33, 1083–1094. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-023-02689-8
  46. Taşcı, G., & Kardeş, S. (2024). Okul öncesi çocuklarda anksiyetenin farklı değişkenlere göre incelenmesi. Temel Eğitim, 6(23), 78–88. https://doi.org/10.52105/temelegitim.1477524
  47. Taylor, S., & Asmundson, G. J. G. (2004). Treating health anxiety: A cognitive-behavioral approach. Guilford Press.
  48. Tetik, S., & Önder, F. C. (2021). Çocuk ve Ergenlerde Duygu Düzenleme Ölçeğinin Türkçeye uyarlanması. Çukurova Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 30(2), 87–100. https://doi.org/10.35379/cusosbil.942135
  49. Thorgaard, M. V. (2017). Health anxiety and illness behaviour in children of mothers with severe health anxiety. Danish Medical Journal, 64(5), B5365.
  50. Thorgaard, M. V., Frostholm, L., & Rask, C. U. (2017). Childhood and family factors in the development of health anxiety: A systematic review. Children’s Health Care, 47(2), 198–238. https://doi.org/10.1080/02739615.2017.1318390
  51. Thorgaard, M. V., Frostholm, L., Walker, L. S., Stengaard-Pedersen, K., Karlsson, M. M., Jensen, J. S., Fink, P., & Rask, C. U. (2017). Effects of maternal health anxiety on children's health complaints, emotional symptoms, and quality of life. European Child ve Adolescent Psychiatry, 26(5), 591–601. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-016-0927-1
  52. Tyrer, P., & Tyrer, H. (2018). Health anxiety: Detection and treatment. BJPsych Advances, 24(1), 66–72. https://doi.org/10.1192/bja.2017.5
  53. Varni, J. W., Seid, M., & Rode, C. A. (1999). The PedsQL: Measurement model for the pediatric quality of life inventory. Medical Care, 37(2), 126–139. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005650-199902000-00003
  54. Villadsen, A., Thorgaard, M. V., Hybel, K. A., Jensen, J. S., Thomsen, P. H., & Rask, C. U. (2017). Health anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents diagnosed with OCD. European Child ve Adolescent Psychiatry, 26(2), 241–251. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-016-0884-8
  55. Walker, L. S., Beck, J. E., Garber, J., & Lambert, W. (2009). Children’s Somatization Inventory: Psychometric properties of the revised form (CSI-24). Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 34(4), 430–440. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsn093
  56. Walsh, J. J., Balint, M. G., Smolira, S. J. D. R., Fredericksen, L. K., & Madsen, S. (2009). Predicting individual differences in mindfulness: The role of trait anxiety, attachment anxiety and attentional control. Personality and Individual Differences, 46(2), 94–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2008.09.008
  57. Wright, K. D., & Asmundson, G. J. G. (2005). Brief report: Factor structure of the Childhood Illness Attitude Scales (CIAS). Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 30(2), 213–218. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsi009
  58. Wright, K. D., Reiser, S. J., & Delparte, C. A. (2017). The relationship between childhood health anxiety, parent health anxiety, and associated constructs. Journal of Health Psychology, 22(5), 617–626. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105315610669
  59. Zhang, Y., Zhao, Y., Mao, S., Li, G., & Yuan, Y. (2014). Investigation of health anxiety and its related factors in nursing students. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 10, 1223–1234. https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S61568