Parental-reported health anxiety symptoms in 5- to 7-year-old children: the Copenhagen Child Cohort CCC 2000

Hypochondriasis, now often designated as health anxiety, is important in terms of prevalence, levels of suffering, and health services cost in adults. Whereas the DSM-IV-TR suggests that the condition primarily begins in adulthood, retrospective reports point to a possible origin in childhood with onset as early as preschool age. However, little research has addressed health anxiety in children. In the present study we explored parental-reported health anxiety symptoms (HAS) and their association with physical and mental health in a population-based sample of 5- to 7-year-old children.