Does the Illness Behavior Questionnaire measure abnormal illness behavior

摘要: Abnormal illness behavior (AIB) has been proposed as a construct measuring the inappropriate or maladaptive modes of responding to one's state health, and Illness Behavior Questionnaire (BQ; Pilowsky, 1975) was designed measure this construct. Previous studies using small samples have failed agree on factor structure questionnaire. The present paper examines critically evaluates interpretation its dimensions well AIB. A analysis responses from 1,061 health care nonhealth seeking subjects yielded six interpretable factors which substantially replicated Pilowsky's previous results. Six scales were calculated correlated with several personality measures. results indicated that is saturated neuroticism, dimension known be related excessive medical complaints. But complaints cannot equated hypochondriasis AIB in absence objective information. In evidence for discriminant validity IBQ, use diagnostic device unwarranted. Treating elevated IBQ scores indicators abnormal without corroborating information may more misleading than accepting patients' symptom reports at face value.