Victoria Thompson
Doctor of Clinical Psychology, (Clinical Psychology)
Study Completed: 2020
College of Humanities & Social Sciences
Citation
Thesis Title
Something's not right: Exploring the Lived Experience of Health Anxiety
Read article at Massey Research Online: 
Changes in the diagnostic criteria for health anxiety calls for a closer investigation of the lived experience of those who excessively worry about their health. Ms Thompson interviewed participants to understand their experiences of health anxiety and how this has affected their functioning. Her findings demonstrated how difficult this experience is to live with as well as to manage in our healthcare settings within New Zealand. Significantly, the results indicated the importance of the relationships between health anxious people and their health professionals in shaping the trajectory of health anxiety. This research creates space for the further development of our understandings of 'health anxiety' and how we can better support those affected by it.
Supervisors
Associate Professor Clifford Van Ommen
Dr Bev Haarhoff
Associate Professor Heather Kempton