title: Geriatric hypochondriasis: situational factors.
abstract: The hypochondriacal attitudes of 53 aged community residents were studied. No significant correlations were found with situational stress, sex, or ethnicity (English-speaking vs Spanish-speaking). The levels of hypochondriasis appeared to be inversely related to self-evaluation of memory ability. There was no indication of an inherent iatrogenic effect. It was concluded that hypochondriacal behavior is chiefly a function of the underlying personality, which may influence the perception of events as stressful.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D001290:Attitude; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006998:Hypochondriasis / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D010551:Personality; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012737:Sex Factors