Impact of Hypochondriasis on Social Adjustment and Inception of Delusional Symptoms Among Adults

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the impact of hypochondriasis on social adjustment and the inception of delusional symptoms among adults, focusing on gender differences. Research participants are 200 adults (n= 100 males, n= 100 females). Ranging from 20 to 30 years old. Several measures are used to investigate the variables of the study – Short Health Anxiety Inventory to measure Hypochondriasis (health anxiety), Work and Social Adjustment Scale to measure social adjustment and Brown Assessment of beliefs Scale to measure inception of delusional symptoms. Convenient sampling technique has been used. Pearson Bivariate correlation, Independent Sample T test analysis was employed for the analysis of data. The results of the present study indicated that hypochondriasis has significantly positive correlation with social adjustment and inception of delusional symptoms. The results also show that female and male adults have significant difference on social adjustment and inception of delusional symptoms. Females score higher than male adults on social adjustment and inception of delusional symptoms. These findings emphasise the need for focused interventions in clinical settings to alleviate health anxiety and promote social functioning, particularly among women. The study's shortcomings include its restricted age group and single-city emphasis, which suggests that future research should cover broader demographics to improve ability to be generalised This study sheds light on the link between hypochondriasis, social adjustment, and delusional symptoms, emphasising the need of treating health anxiety in professional settings.

Keywords: Hypochondriasis, Social Adjustment, Inception of delusional symptoms.