Name
When Care Becomes Concern: How Intergenerational Beliefs Shape Health Anxiety Among Chinese Young Adults
Description

Health-anxious patients often present with persistent concerns about their well-being, despite repeated medical reassurance. This population remains underrecognized in clinical settings, often leading to unnecessary medical utilization and frustration for both patients and health providers. This session will explore the complex and often paradoxical relationship between health-anxious young adults and healthcare systems, which is characterized by simultaneous dependency and mistrust. Informed by an in-depth qualitative analysis, the presenter will explain how family responsibilities and intergenerational transmission of health beliefs significantly shape and exacerbate health anxiety among young adults, particularly within Chinese cultural contexts. The audience will gain insights and strategies for effectively supporting health-anxious patients whose health behaviors are shaped by family beliefs and intergenerational dynamics.

Speakers
Shichen Liang, Doctoral student, Individual - Shichen Liang, Minneapolis, MN
Co-Authors
Cécile Flahault, Ph.D., Associate Professor (Maître de Conférences-HD), Université de Paris Cité, Paris, France
Content Level
All Audience
Tags
Behavioral Medicine Topics such as insomnia or medication adherence, Patient-centered care or Patient perspectives, Social determinants of health or SDoH
Session Type
Concurrent
SIG or Committee
Families and Health (F&H)
Objective 1
Understand the characteristics of patients with health anxiety and their conflicting behavior of frequently seeking medical care while mistrusting the medical system.
Objective 2
Understand how family responsibility and intergenerational health beliefs contribute to the development and reinforcement of health anxiety
Objective 3
Implement communication strategies and help health-anxious patients feel more supported in seeking appropriate care
Content Reference 1

Rimvall, M. K., Jeppesen, P., Skovgaard, A. M., Verhulst, F., Olsen, E. M., & Rask, C. U. (2021). Continuity of health anxiety from childhood to adolescence and associated healthcare costs: a prospective population-based cohort study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 62(4), 441–448. https://doi.org/10.1111/JCPP.13286.

Content Reference 2

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(4), 1083–1094. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-023-02689-8

Content Reference 3

Hosseinchi, P., Ghalibaf, E., Kamyab, G., Eghbali, A., & Khatibi, A. (2024). Health anxiety and the negative interpretation of children’s bodily symptoms in mothers of cancer patients. Journal of Cancer Survivorship, 18(1), 157–164. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-023-01431-z

Content Reference 4

Ingeman, K., Hulgaard, D. R., & Rask, C. U. (2024). Health anxiety by proxy – through the eyes of the parents. Journal of Child Health Care, 28(1), 22–36. https://doi.org/10.1177/13674935221095648

Content Reference 5

Wang, D., Jiang, Q., Yang, Z., & Choi, J.-K. (2021). The longitudinal influences of adverse childhood experiences and positive childhood experiences at family, school, and neighborhood on adolescent depression and anxiety. Journal of Affective Disorders, 292, 542–551. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.05.108