A Comparative Study on Hypochondriasis Among Medical and Dental Students in Post‐COVID‐19 Pandemic: A Cross‐Sectional Study

ABSTRACT Background and Aims Health anxiety can be common for health professions students and was elevated during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Differences in clinical exposures between dental and medical students can influence post‐pandemic hypochondriasis. This study aimed to compare the levels of hypochondriasis among medical and dental students in the post‐COVID‐19 era. Methods This cross‐sectional study was conducted among medical (MBBS) and dental (BDS) students at different colleges in Karachi, Pakistan. A questionnaire (S1) was constructed and distributed among students. Hypochondriasis of the participants was evaluated using the Short Health Anxiety Inventory‐18 (SHAI‐18) scale. Independent t‐tests were used to compare the SHAI‐18 scores. A p‐value of ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results A sample of 350 participants was recruited, with 220 (62.9%) MBBS students and 130 (37.1%) BDS students. About 120 (54.4%) MBBS and 75 (57.4%) BDS students considered themselves to be hypochondriacs in the pre‐COVID era. In the post‐COVID era, 135 (61.3%) MBBS and 85 (65.3%) BDS students were reportedly hypochondriacs. No differences between SHAI‐18 scores were found between medical and dental students (p = 0.16). Anxiety levels increased from pre‐clinical to clinical years by dental students (p < 0.001) as compared to medical students, who showed no such increase (p = 0.61). Conclusion Both medical and dental students demonstrated measurable levels of health anxiety in the post‐COVID‐19 era, with no statistically significant difference in overall SHAI‐18 scores between the two groups. Dental students showed significantly higher health anxiety during clinical years compared to pre‐clinical years, whereas no such difference was observed among medical students. These findings highlight the need for targeted mental health support, particularly during clinical training.