ArticleScandinavian journal of public health2022
Experiencing COVID-19 symptoms without the disease: The role of nocebo in reporting of symptoms.
Article in Scandinavian journal of public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Italy Using Real-World Data: Methodology and Cohort Description of the Second Phase of Web-Based EPICOVID19 Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- Effectiveness of two interventions to optimize expectations in psychosomatic rehabilitation of post-COVID patients: study protocol for an integrative approach.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Validation of modified COVID-19 Phobia Scale (MC19P-SE) to examine the relationships between corona anxiety and COVID-19 symptoms: A case-control study.Journal of mood and anxiety disorders · 2025Article
- Confirmation of COVID-19 infection status and reporting of Long COVID symptoms in a population-based birth cohort: No evidence of a nocebo effect.Journal of health psychology · 2024Article
- Seroprevalence and socioeconomic impact of the first SARS-CoV-2 infection wave in a small town in Navarre, Spain.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Fast Methods for Drug Approval: Research Perspectives for Pandemic Preparedness.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Associations between Depression and Self-Reported COVID-19 Symptoms among Adults: Results from Two Population-Based Seroprevalence Studies in Switzerland.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- The Effects of Health Anxiety and Litigation Potential on Symptom Endorsement, Cognitive Performance, and Physiological Functioning in the Context of a Food and Drug Administration Drug Recall Announcement.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Article
- Few SARS-CoV-2 infections detected in Newfoundland and Labrador in the absence of Public Health Laboratory-based confirmation.PloS one · 2022Article
- Nocebo-Prone Behavior Associated with SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Hesitancy in Healthcare Workers.Vaccines · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundA nocebo effect occurs when inactive factors lead to worsening of symptoms or reduce treatment outcomes. Believing that one is or has been infected with COVID-19 may act as a nocebo. However, not much is known about potential nocebo effects associated with the reporting of COVID-19 symptoms.
aimAn online survey investigated whether certainty of being infected with COVID-19, age, sex, cognitive, emotional and personality factors were associated with perceived severity of COVID-19 symptoms.
methodsParticipants (
resultsCertainty of being infected with COVID-19 and anxiety predicted 27% of the variance in reporting of COVID-like symptoms. The mediation analysis showed that both higher certainty of being infected and anxiety independently predicted increased reports of COVID-like symptom. Females had higher anxiety and stress levels, and reported more COVID-like symptoms than males did. Older age was not associated with reporting COVID-like symptoms.
conclusionsBelieving to be infected with COVID-19, along with anxiety, can enhance the severity of COVID-like symptoms. Thus, the nocebo effect was due to both cognitive and emotional factors and was higher in females.
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