Short Health Anxiety Inventory

Overview

The Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI) is a self-report questionnaire designed to assess health anxiety in individuals. Developed by Salkovskis, Rimes, Warwick, and Clark in 2002, the SHAI is a shortened version of the original Health Anxiety Inventory (HAI), making it a more efficient tool for both clinical and research settings. It is widely used to evaluate the severity of health-related anxiety and to identify individuals who may require further psychological intervention.

Purpose

The SHAI aims to:

• Assess Health Anxiety: Measure the severity of health anxiety symptoms, including worries about health, fears of having a serious illness, and behaviors related to health concerns.
• Identify High-Risk Individuals: Help identify individuals at high risk of health anxiety who may benefit from further assessment or intervention.
• Monitor Treatment Progress: Track changes in health anxiety symptoms over time to evaluate the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions.

Structure

The SHAI consists of 18 items that are divided into two main subscales:

• Cognitive Aspects of Health Anxiety: This subscale assesses the individual's thoughts and concerns about their health, including fears of having a serious illness and worries about bodily symptoms.
• Behavioral Aspects of Health Anxiety: This subscale evaluates behaviors related to health anxiety, such as frequent checking of the body for signs of illness, seeking reassurance from others, and avoiding activities or situations that might trigger health concerns.

Applications

• Clinical Use: The SHAI is used by mental health professionals to screen for health anxiety, support diagnostic decisions, and guide treatment planning. It helps identify individuals who may benefit from cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or other therapeutic interventions aimed at reducing health anxiety.
• Research Use: The instrument is utilized in research to study the prevalence, causes, and consequences of health anxiety in various populations. It is also used to evaluate the effectiveness of different treatments and interventions for health anxiety.

Psychometric Properties

The SHAI exhibits strong psychometric properties:

• Reliability: The scale demonstrates high internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients indicating strong reliability for both subscales. Test-retest reliability is also satisfactory, indicating the stability of health anxiety symptoms over time.
• Validity: The SHAI shows good construct validity, correlating well with other established measures of health anxiety and related constructs such as general anxiety and somatic symptom severity. It also demonstrates criterion validity by effectively distinguishing between individuals with high and low levels of health anxiety.
• Factor Structure: Factor analysis supports the scale's ability to capture the cognitive and behavioral dimensions of health anxiety, consistent with theoretical models of health anxiety.

Translation and Adaptation

The SHAI has been translated into multiple languages and adapted for use in various cultural contexts. These translations have undergone rigorous validation processes to ensure accuracy and cultural relevance, making the SHAI a versatile tool for assessing health anxiety in diverse populations.

Conclusion

The Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI) is a valuable tool for assessing health anxiety symptoms, providing important insights for both clinical practice and research. Its robust psychometric properties and efficient format make it an essential instrument for understanding and managing health anxiety, supporting effective diagnosis and intervention strategies.