Prevalence of illness anxiety disorder among recovered patients after hospitalization with COVID-19

Covid-19 has the potential to trigger heightened health anxiety and concerns about health repercussions. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of illness anxiety disorder among individuals who have recovered from Covid-19 following hospitalization.

This cross-sectional descriptive study targeted individuals who had previously been hospitalized for Covid-19 at Shohada Hospital in Sarpol-e-Zahab city, with a minimum of six months elapsed since discharge. A total of 479 participants were randomly selected from the hospital's records and assessed face-to-face for levels of health anxiety and the presence of illness anxiety disorder using the short health anxiety inventory. Socio-economic status was determined using the Ghodrat-Nama’s  questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using Chi-square test, one-way ANOVA, and Tukey test.

The study revealed that 50.93% of participants exhibited moderate to high levels of health anxiety, while the prevalence of illness anxiety disorder among all participants was 23.38%. Significant associations were found between illness anxiety disorder and gender, age, education level, marital status, and socio-economic status.

The findings indicate a high prevalence of illness anxiety disorder among individuals who have recovered from Covid-19 following hospitalization. Moreover, the prevalence of illness anxiety disorder was found to vary across different socio-economic statuses.