New challenges in facing cyberchondria during the coronavirus disease pandemic

Vismara, Matteo; Varinelli, Alberto; Pellegrini, Luca; Enara, Arun; Fineberg, Naomi

doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101156

Cited by 16 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Gökçe et al [ 20 ] reported a similar rate of 19.4%.The increased number of health-related websites providing false and incomplete information increased anxiety levels in people with health concerns and low health literacy, which prevented patients from using the medicines prescribed to them. [ 21 , 22 ] As health literacy is insufficient, there must be strict supervision mechanisms on websites or their owners claiming to provide online health information. We believe that imposing legal sanctions on those who injure public and individual health by providing false information can provide solutions to this problem.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The increased dissemination of health information on the Internet results in more searches, and the level of cyberchondria increases because of the lack of evidence-based information. [ 22 ] Such websites share information that they think is interesting without questioning or checking its accuracy in order to attract more users and increase their popularity. In addition to legal sanctions, training specially educated individuals/groups and increasing cybersecurity supervision can help to prevent this situation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sharing opinions on health-related issues, most of which are not based on medical evidence, enhances loneliness, suicidal ideas, peer pressure, and depression, thus increasing the level of cyberchondria. [22,[24][25][26][27] Social media is commonly used for information purposes and is an important source of reference for health-related issues. Unfortunately, it also becomes a source of risk because of incompetent pages and patients.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An examination of cyberchondria’s relationship with trait anxiety and psychological well-being in women of reproductive age: A cross-sectional study

Sezer

Başoğlu²,

Dağdeviren

2022

Medicine

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Online environments have become the main sources of health-related information. However, if used incorrectly, this can decrease the level of well-being. Cyberchondria corresponds to the hypochondria in the digital age. We aimed to investigate the relationship between cyberchondria and trait anxiety, psychological well-being, and other factors in women of reproductive age. This study used a descriptive cross-sectional design. Face-to-face questionnaires were administered to women aged 18 to 49. The sample size was formed and stratified according to the population of the 47 family health centers to reflect the entire population. The questionnaire included a sociodemographic information form, the Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWBS). This study included 422 participants. The average daily use of the Internet was 2.14 ± 1.837 hours, while that of social media was 2.69 ± 2.027 hours. The mean CSS score was 89.42 ± 21.688; the mean trait anxiety score was 44.34 ± 8.791, and the mean PWBS score was 324.26 ± 35.944. Factors that interacted with the level of cyberchondria were the trait anxiety score, PWBS score, alcohol consumption, and average daily use of the internet and social media. Increased online time, alcohol consumption, trait anxiety levels, and psychological well-being increase cyberchondria levels. Improvements must be made in the accuracy of online information, which is unsupervised and easily accessible to society as a source of information. Future studies should focus on the prevention, detection, and treatment of cyberchondriasis. Identifying and improving the factors affecting women’s and mothers’ cyberchondria will also increase the chances of providing primary protection against certain diseases.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

An examination of cyberchondria’s relationship with trait anxiety and psychological well-being in women of reproductive age: A cross-sectional study

Sezer

Başoğlu²,

Dağdeviren

2022

Medicine

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“…Risk/vulnerability factors associated with the development of cyberchondria may include being female, younger age, history of mental disorders, presence of online behaviors such as the use of social networks, and acceptance of online information [ 60 ]. However, features such as optimism, information about the pandemic, and adaptative emotion regulation have been hypothesized as protective factors mitigating against the development of cyberchondria during the pandemic [ 45 , 49 ].…”

Section: Cyberchondriamentioning

confidence: 99%

Cyberchondria: a Growing Concern During the COVID-19 Pandemic and a Possible Addictive Disorder?

Mestre‐Bach

Potenza

2023

Curr Addict Rep

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Purpose of Review The main purpose of this narrative review is to provide a brief overview of the current empirical evidence regarding the conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of cyberchondria, with a focus on the potential classification of cyberchondria as a behavioral addiction. Although cyberchondria has been widely associated with anxiety, it has also been suggested that it may be linked to obsessive–compulsive features. A less explored proposal is the categorization of cyberchondria as a behavioral addiction. The present review explores the existing literature with respect to the possible classification of cyberchondria as a behavioral addiction by considering cyberchondria with respect to components of the interaction of person, affect, cognition and execution model. Recent Findings There is a lack of consensus regarding the definition and conceptualization of cyberchondria. The empirical evidence available to date suggests that cyberchondria is a multifactorial construct that operates transdiagnostically, particularly with respect to obsessive–compulsive-related disorders and health-related anxiety. The extent to which the condition may reflect a behavioral addiction as a form of problematic use of the internet also warrants consideration. Cyberchondria may have become more prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic, with particular populations prone to health-related anxiety likely having greater vulnerability. Existing data in part support the potential classification of cyberchondria as a behavioral addiction, although many gaps in understanding currently exist. Summary Cyberchondria appears to be a growing concern. However, there is not yet enough empirical evidence to determine whether this clinical condition has enough similarities with behavioral addictions to be considered as one. Likewise, psychometric instruments that exist to date have not been designed from the theoretical framework of behavioral addictions, so most of the factors that they evaluate may be preferentially related to anxiety. Finally, there is still no consensus on whether cyberchondria should be addressed in the context of health anxiety interventions, OCRD, or behavioral addictions; thus, more empirical evidence is needed.

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Global Research on Cyberchondria: Scientometric and Visual Analysis From 2003 to 2022

Baysan,

Palanbek Yavaş

2024

Stress and Health

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This study aims to summarise the research themes, hotspots, and boundaries in the field of cyberchondria using scientometrics and visual analysis methods. Until 31 December 2022, 181 publications (165 articles, 16 reviews) were identified under the topic of ‘cyberchondria’ in the Web of Science Core Collection database. VOSviewer was used for analysis. It was observed that publications related to cyberchondria have rapidly developed into a research area in the last 4 years, constituting 79.0% (n = 143) of the total publications. The most common co‐occurring keywords are ‘cyberchondria’, ‘health anxiety’, and ‘COVID‐19’. Clusters representing three different themes were obtained by conducting co‐occurring keyword analysis. The first and largest cluster comprises ‘COVID‐19’, ‘anxiety’, and ‘internet addiction’, the second cluster includes ‘cyberchondria’ and ‘health anxiety’, and the third cluster centres around ‘health information’ and ‘health education’ keywords. This study has mapped out the information landscape of cyberchondria research over the past 20 years using scientometric and visual analysis methods. The significant increase in recent years indicates a diversification and continued growth in studies conducted in this field. By presenting the general state of the field, this study provides valuable insights for future research endeavours.

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New challenges in facing cyberchondria during the coronavirus disease pandemic

Cited by 16 publications

References 60 publications

An examination of cyberchondria’s relationship with trait anxiety and psychological well-being in women of reproductive age: A cross-sectional study

An examination of cyberchondria’s relationship with trait anxiety and psychological well-being in women of reproductive age: A cross-sectional study

Cyberchondria: a Growing Concern During the COVID-19 Pandemic and a Possible Addictive Disorder?

Global Research on Cyberchondria: Scientometric and Visual Analysis From 2003 to 2022

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