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:: Volume 36, Issue 2 (summer 2026) ::
MEDICAL SCIENCES 2026, 36(2): 200-211 Back to browse issues page
Hypochondriasis (self-morbidity) prediction based on ego strength with the mediating role of childhood trauma in medical students
Zahra Sadat Mirghasemi1 , Atefeh Hojjati2
1- Master's Student in Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Islamic Azad University of Medical Sciences, Qom Branch, Qom, Iran
2- Assistant Professor, Faculty of Psychology, Islamic Azad University of Medical Sciences, Qom Branch, Qom, Iran , atefehojjati@iau.ac.ir
Abstract:   (394 Views)
Background: In the present era, the concern of the general public about their health has increased, and the recognition of hypochondria, which is a pseudo-physical disorder in which, despite physical health, the individual perceives a serious illness, has become more important than ever. The aim of the present study was to predict hypochondria (self-morbidity) based on ego strength with the mediating role of childhood trauma in medical students.
Materials and methods: This study was a descriptive-correlational structural equation study. The statistical population consisted of students of Islamic Azad University, Medical Sciences Branch in Qom in the academic year 2024-2025. A sample of 280 people was selected from the medical sciences fields by cluster random sampling. Data were collected using Evans's (1980) self-morbidity questionnaire, Mark Strom's (1997) Ego Strength Questionnaire (PIES), and Bernstein's (2003) Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Data analysis was performed using Pearson's correlation test and path analysis using SPSS-26 and Amos software.
Results: The findings showed that there was a significant relationship between hypochondria and the variables ego strength (r=-0.257) and childhood trauma (r=0.317) (p<0.01). The coefficient of determination of the model was 0.29, which showed that ego strength and childhood trauma have moderate predictive power for hypochondria.
Conclusion: It is suggested that necessary training be provided to further understand self-mortification and appropriate treatments be provided to improve and strengthen the performance of medical students
Keywords: Hypochondria, Self-mortification, Ego strength, Childhood trauma, Students, Medical science
Full-Text [PDF 883 kb]   (84 Downloads)    
Semi-pilot: Survey/Cross Sectional/Descriptive | Subject: psychology
Received: 2025/10/4 | Accepted: 2025/11/23 | Published: 2026/07/1
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Mirghasemi Z S, Hojjati A. Hypochondriasis (self-morbidity) prediction based on ego strength with the mediating role of childhood trauma in medical students. MEDICAL SCIENCES 2026; 36 (2) :200-211
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Volume 36, Issue 2 (summer 2026) Back to browse issues page
فصلنامه علوم پزشکی دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد پزشکی تهران Medical Science Journal of Islamic Azad Univesity - Tehran Medical Branch
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