Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Jul 16:11:1739-47.
doi: 10.2147/NDT.S83501. eCollection 2015.

The reliability and validity of a Chinese-version Short Health Anxiety Inventory: an investigation of university students

Yuqun Zhang  1 , Rui Liu  2 , Guohong Li  3 , Shengqin Mao  1 , Yonggui Yuan  1
Affiliations

The reliability and validity of a Chinese-version Short Health Anxiety Inventory: an investigation of university students

Yuqun Zhang et al. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. .

Abstract

Background: The Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI) is widely used in English-speaking populations, with good reliability and validity. For further research needs in the Chinese population, it was translated into a Chinese version (CSHAI). Furthermore, the reliability, validity, and cutoff score were examined in a nonclinical population in the People's Republic of China.

Methods: Three hundred and sixteen undergraduates were evaluated by a set of questionnaires including CSHAI, Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Fifty-eight students completed CSHAI again after 30 days.

Results: The two-factor model had satisfactory fit indices. The correlation coefficients between each item with the CSHAI total and each subscale were between 0.386 and 0.779. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients of CSHAI total and its subscales were 0.742, 0.743, and 0.788, respectively, and the split-half coefficients were 0.757, 0.788, and 0.912. The test-retest correlation coefficients were, respectively, 0.598 (P<0.001), 0.539 (P<0.001), and 0.691 (P<0.001). Convergent validities were respectively 0.389-0.453, 0.389-0.410, and 0.250-0.401, and discriminant validities were -5.689 (P<0.001), -5.614 (P<0.001), and -3.709 (P<0.001). The cutoff score was 15.

Conclusion: CSHAI showed good factor structure, reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity, and 15 was determined to be the appropriate cutoff score for screening health anxiety.

Keywords: confirmatory factor analysis; cutoff score; health anxiety.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
ROC curves for CSHAI total and SAS. Notes: The areas under the ROC curve for SHAI and SAS were 0.745 (P<0.001; 95% CI: 0.657–0.834) and 0.993 (P<0.001; 95% CI: 0–1), respectively. Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; ROC, receiver operating characteristic; SAS, Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale; CSHAI, Chinese-version Short Health Anxiety Inventory.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hadjistavropoulos HD, Janzen JA, Kehler MD, Leclerc JA, Sharpe D, Bourgault-Fagnou MD. Core cognitions related to health anxiety in self-reported medical and non-medical samples. J Behav Med. 2012;35:167–178. - PubMed
    1. Sunderland M, Newby JM, Andrews G. Health anxiety in Australia: prevalence, comorbidity, disability and service use. Br J Psychiatry. 2013;202:56–61. - PubMed
    1. Noyes R, Jr, Happel RL, Yagla SJ. Correlates of hypochondriasis in a nonclinical population. Psychosomatics. 1999;40:461–469. - PubMed
    1. Martin A, Jacobi F. Features of hypochondriasis and illness worry in the general population in Germany. Psychosom Med. 2006;68:770–777. - PubMed
    1. Fink P, Ørnbøl E, Christensen KS. The outcome of health anxiety in primary care. A two-year 24 follow-up study on health care costs and self-rated health. PLoS One. 2010;5:e9873. - PMC - PubMed