The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Searching for Health-Related Information and Cyberchondria on the General Population in Italy

Abstract

Objectives: The Internet has become one of the most common sources people use to search for health-related information, a behavior rapidly increased during the novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The present study aimed to investigate behavioral patterns in the online health-related searches and Cyberchondria (CYB) during the COVID-19 pandemic time, in order to explore socio-demographic and psychopathological factors related to CYB.Methods: During the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, a cross-sectional online survey collected the main socio-demographic variables and habits related to Internet use of 572 participants. CYB was measured by the Cyberchondria Severity Scale-Short Version and different psychopathological factors were measured by specific questionnaires: the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Short Health Anxiety Inventory, the Meta-Cognitions about Health Questionnaire, the Internet Addiction Test, the Maudsley Obsessional-Compulsive Questionnaire-Short Version, the Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale, and the WHO Quality of Life-BREF. Descriptives, non-parametric ANOVAs, and Spearman correlations were performed.Results: In the present sample, the Internet was the main source participants used to search for health-related information and nearly one-third increased this habit during the pandemic. Higher expression of CYB emerged in females, in younger participants, in students, and in those suffering from a physical/psychiatric illness. CYB showed a positive correlation with different phenomenology of anxiety (i.e., anxiety about COVID-19, health anxiety, general anxiety, metacognitive believes about anxiety) and with depression, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and problematic usage of the Internet. Conversely, quality of life and self-esteem showed a negative correlation with CYB.Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of the Internet for health-related information and CYB contribute to the psychological stress affecting individuals and society. Delineating subjects more vulnerable to CYB and associated psychopathological factors will help to elaborate operational indications for prevention and psychological support.

The prevalence of eHealth literacy and its relationship with perceived health status and psychological distress during Covid-19: a cross-sectional study of older adults in Blekinge, Sweden

“…The mimicking symptoms with the common flue [4], the misinformation and rumors [5], news and harmful social media content [6] have caused much stress and panic in the world. Whereas, lack of social engagement, hospital visits, and general checkups due to restrictions in COVID-19 has led to an increase in the use of the internet for social purposes and seeking health information [7]. In this scenario, there is a need for the masses to have adequate knowledge about how and where to seek the correct information using the internet, evaluate, understand, and apply this information correctly, i.e., to have eHealth literacy.…”

Cyberchondria, but not preventive behavior, mediates the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and somatic burden: Evidence from Russia

“…Second, the findings were obtained in a population sample and cannot be generalized to clinical groups. There is evidence that fear of COVID-19, cyberchondria, and somatization differ between healthy persons and patients with mental and physical diseases ( 64 – 66 ). The patterns found should be examined in clinical groups including patients with somatoform disorders.…”

The Relationship between Searches for COVID-19 Vaccines and Dynamics of Vaccinated People in Poland: An Infodemiological Study

“…External circumstances and the narrative in the media strongly influence behaviours of people looking for information on the Internet [ 24 , 25 ]. Restrictions limiting direct relationships during the pandemic, long periods of time spent at home and restricted access to general practitioners (GPs) have all intensified the search for health issues online [ 26 , 27 ].…”