Health Anxiety Inventory (HAI)

If you would prefer to fill in this questionnaire offline you can download a pdf by clicking on the link.

Part 1

Each question in this section consists of a group of four statements. Please read each group of statements carefully and then click on the statement that best describes your feelings over the past week. Identify the statement by the letter next to it, for example, if you think that statement 'a' is correct, click the statement next to letter 'a'.

Question 1

a: I do not worry about my health.
b: I occasionally worry about my health.
c: I spend much of my time worrying about my health.
d: I spend most of my time worrying about my health.

Question 2

a: I notice aches/pains less than most other people (of my age).
b: I notice aches/pains as much as most other people (of my age).
c: I notice aches/pains more than most other people (of my age).
d: I am aware of aches/pains in my body all the time.

Question 3

a: As a rule I am not aware of bodily sensations or changes.
b: Sometimes I am aware of bodily sensations or changes.
c: I am often aware of bodily sensations or changes.
d: I am constantly aware of bodily sensations or changes.

Question 4

a: Resisting thoughts of illness is never a problem.
b: Most of the time I can resist thoughts of illness.
c: I try to resist thoughts of illness but am often unable to do so.
d: Thoughts of illness are so strong that I no longer even try to resist them.

Question 5

a: As a rule I am not afraid that I have a serious illness.
b: I am sometimes afraid that I have a serious illness.
c: I am often afraid that I have a serious illness.
d: I am always afraid that I have a serious illness.

Question 6

a: I do not have images (mental pictures) of myself being ill.
b: I occasionally have images of myself being ill.
c: I frequently have images of myself being ill.
d: I constantly have images of myself being ill.

Question 7

a: I do not have any difficulty taking my mind off thoughts about my health.
b: I sometimes have difficulty taking my mind off thoughts about my health.
c: I often have difficulty in taking my mind off thoughts about my health.
d: Nothing can take my mind off thoughts about my health.

Question 8

a: I am lastingly relieved if my doctor tells me there is nothing wrong.
b: I am initially relieved but the worries sometimes return later.
c: I am initially relieved but the worries always return later.
d: I am not relieved if my doctor tells me there is nothing wrong.

Question 9

a: If I hear about an illness I never think I have it myself.
b: If I hear about an illness I sometimes think I have it myself.
c: If I hear about an illness I often think I have it myself.
d: If I hear about an illness I always think I have it myself.

Question 10

a: If I have a bodily sensation or change I rarely wonder what it means.
b: If I have a bodily sensation or change I often wonder what it means.
c: If I have a bodily sensation or change I always wonder what it means.
d: If I have a bodily sensation or change I must know what it means.

Question 11

a: I usually feel at very low risk for developing a serious illness.
b: I usually feel at fairly low risk for developing a serious illness.
c: I usually feel at moderate risk for developing a serious illness.
d: I usually feel at high risk for developing a serious illness.

Question 12

a: I never think I have a serious illness.
b: I sometimes think I have a serious illness.
c: I often think I have a serious illness.
d: I usually think that I am seriously ill.

Question 13

a: If I notice an unexplained bodily sensation I don't find it difficult to think about other things.
b: If I notice an unexplained bodily sensation I sometimes find it difficult to think about other things.
c: If I notice an unexplained bodily sensation I often find it difficult to think about other things.
d: If I notice an unexplained bodily sensation I always find it difficult to think about other things.

Question 14

a: My family/friends would say I do not worry enough about my health.
b: My family/friends would say I have a normal attitude to my health.
c: My family/friends would say I worry too much about my health.
d: My family/friends would say I am a hypochondriac.

Part 2

For the following questions, please think about what it might be like if you had a serious illness of a type which particularly concerns you (e.g. heart disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis etc). Obviously you cannot be certain what it would be like; please give your best estimate of what you think might happen, basing your estimate on what you know about yourself and serious illness in general.

Question 15

a: If I had a serious illness I would still be able to enjoy things in my life quite a lot.
b: If I had a serious illness I would still be able to enjoy things in my life a little.
c: If I had a serious illness I would be almost completely unable to enjoy things in my life.
d: If I had a serious illness I would be completely unable to enjoy life at all.

Question 16

a: If I developed a serious illness there is a good chance that modern medicine would be able to cure me.
b: If I developed a serious illness there is a moderate chance that modern medicine would be able to cure me.
c: If I developed a serious illness there is a very small chance that modern medicine would be able to cure me.
d: If I developed a serious illness there is no chance that modern medicine would be able to cure me.

Question 17

a: A serious illness would ruin some aspects of my life.
b: A serious illness would ruin many aspects of my life.
c: A serious illness would ruin almost every aspect of my life.
d: A serious illness would ruin every aspect of my life.

Question 18

a: If I had a serious illness I would not feel that I had lost my dignity.
b: If I had a serious illness I would feel that I had lost a little of my dignity.
c: If I had a serious illness I would feel that I had lost quite a lot of my dignity.
d: If I had a serious illness I would feel that I had totally lost my dignity.

	Total score	Main section score	Negative consequences score

There are three relevant scores on this questionnaire, the total score, the score on the main section (questions 1-14) and the score for negative consequences (questions 15-18). The questions in the main section measure overall preoccupation with ill health for the past week, while the questions in the negative consequences section measure the perceived impact of having a serious illness.

The minimum score is 0, while the maximum total score is 54. The maximum score on the main section only is 42 and on the negative consequences section is 12.

In previous research, people who had a diagnosis of health anxiety had an average total score (both sections) of 37.9, while for the main section their average was 30.1 and for the negative consequences section it was 7.8. People who did not have a diagnosis of health anxiety scored on average 12.2 for the total score, 9.6 for the main section score, and 3.0 for the negative consequences section.

Reference

Salkovskis, P. M., Rimes, K. A., Warwick, H. M. C., & Clark, D. (2002). The Health Anxiety Inventory: Development and validation of scales for the measurement of health anxiety and hypochondriasis. Psychological Medicine, 32(5), 843-853.

Important

Please treat your scores on these or any other online questionnaires with caution. Questionnaires cannot be used to make a diagnosis of a mental health condition. Where a mental health condition has been diagnosed by a suitably qualified and experienced health professional these questionnaires may be used as a guide to the current severity of your condition. Always consult with a qualified health professional if you are concerned in any way about your mental health.

If you are worried about your safety, you should immediately consult with your GP or another suitably qualified health professional. If you are in the UK the following numbers might be of help to you:

NHS Emergencies: call 999.
NHS Non-emergency number: call 111.
Samaritans: call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

You can find more guidance and additional helpline numbers on this NHS page: Help for suicidal thoughts

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