START DATE AND DURATION: March 2025 - October 2027Excessive reassurance-seeking (ERS) has been shown to be associated with the maintenance of a number of common mental health conditions such as panic disorder, body dysmorphia, social anxiety, OCD and health anxiety. There is limited research as to how reassurance-seeking may present across different mental health disorders and demographics, why it may become excessive, and how this may predict treatment outcomes. This is clinically relevant as greater understanding of this phenomenon could help improve how we assess and treat this across presentations.
The current study therefore, aims to investigate reassurance-seeking in a number of common mental health disorders. We aim to investigate whether there are any patterns in reassurance seeking across different demographics and mental health presentations. We also aim to investigate whether ERS may be connected to a need for interpersonal connection to others.
The results of this study will provide greater understanding of the presentation and impact of ERS in common mental health difficulties, which will have crucial implications for targeted training initiatives in improving assessment and treatment.