“HEALTH ANXIETY AMONG UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL AND NON-MEDICAL STUDENTS IN GUNTUR DISTRICT, ANDHRA PRADESH – A COMPARATIVE STUDY”

Abstract

Introduction: Experiencing health concerns is common, but intense health anxiety, like the 
“medical student syndrome”, can lead to suffering and functional impairment. 
Aim: To explore health anxiety among undergraduate medical and non-medical students and 
make comparisons.
Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted among 400 undergraduate 
students, equally divided between medical and non-medical fields. The Short Health Anxiety 
Inventory (SHAI) was utilized to measure health anxiety in the study participants.
Independent samples t-test was applied to test for any significant differences in SHAI scores 
based on the participant’s professional groups and other characteristics.