Body Checking als Sicherheitsverhalten bei Krankheitsangststörung

Cognitive-behavioral models of illness anxiety disorder (IAD) propose that body checking (BC) reduces anxiety in the short term but contributes to disorder maintenance in the long term. These assumptions have rarely been examined under naturalistic conditions.

Investigation of short- and longer-term effects of BC as a safety behavior in daily life among individuals with IAD.

Two field studies examined changes in emotional, cognitive and psychopathological states in individuals with IAD and healthy controls. In study 1 (N = 67) states were assessed immediately before, during and after spontaneous checking episodes and control situations without BC. In study 2 (N = 30) individual checking frequency was either maintained or experimentally increased for three days each in a crossover design. State measures were assessed before and after each condition.

Spontaneous BC was associated with acute increases in negative states that peaked during BC and subsequently decreased, but remained elevated compared to control situations ( p < 0.001, ηp² ≥ 0.009). Experimental increased checking frequency was associated with higher negative affect among individuals with IAD (p = 0.04, η²_G = 0.01), particularly helplessness (p = 0.01).

The findings partially support a short-term emotion-regulating function of BC relative to the peaked distress during BC. However, BC was also associated with acute increases in emotional distress and, at higher frequencies with a further increase in negative effects, whereas potential relieving effects with habitual frequency could be of a more transient nature.