Abstract
Objective: Evidence from psychosomatic and nocebo research has indicated that believing one will develop symptoms makes the experience of such symptoms more likely. We applied this idea in the context of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Specifically, we assessed whether beliefs regarding COVID-19 predict COVID-like symptoms 3–4 weeks later, and what specific belief has the greatest influence on symptom experience. Method: We conducted two studies with over 300 participants, approached at two successive timepoints, 3–4 weeks apart. Participants reported their experienced symptoms, COVID-19-related beliefs, demographics, and state anxiety. To target COVID-like symptoms, participants who reported having contracted COVID-19 or attributed their symptoms to another known cause were excluded. Regression analyses were conducted to test the predictive value of beliefs regarding COVID-19 on experienced symptoms. Results: A particular belief regarding one’s estimated symptom severity if infected with coronavirus predicted the experience of symptoms 3–4 weeks later (b =.17, p =.011). This result persisted after controlling for potential confounds, including state anxiety (b =.22, p =.002). Findings were preregistered and replicated in a separate cohort. A novel scale for perception of the body’s ability to fight diseases contributed to mediating the effect of estimated symptom severity on later experienced symptoms. Conclusions: A particular belief about estimated symptom severity if infected with COVID predicted the experience of COVID-like physical symptoms several weeks later. These findings contribute to the understanding of the development of unexplained physical symptoms. Furthermore, identification of a particular belief that increases the likelihood of symptoms informs intervention that may mitigate its effects.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 519-526 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Health Psychology |
Volume | 41 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2022 |
Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This project. Liron Rozenkrantz is supported by the Simons Center for the Social Brain Postdoctoral Fellowship. Michael H. Bernstein is supported by the National Institutes of Health K01DA048087. Study replication was preregistered using the Open Science Framework (OSF) platform, and can be found under the link: https://osf.io/7y9pm/?view_only=0376e15abb4b49749a2fe3d63dbb4378
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022. American Psychological Association
Keywords
- Beliefs
- Health perceptions
- Nocebo
- Physical symptoms
- Psychosomatic research
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40 promising young Israelis by the "The Marker" Magazine
Rozenkrantz, Liron (Recipient), Dec 2022
Prize: Honorary award