Compulsive Health-Related Internet Use and Cyberchondria.
- Khazaal Y Addiction Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland, yasser.khazaal@chuv.ch.
- Chatton A Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Rochat L Faculty of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Hede V Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Viswasam K Department of Psychiatry, Nepean Hospital, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia.
- Penzenstadler L Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Berle D Discipline of Clinical Psychology, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
- Starcevic V Discipline of Psychiatry, Sydney Medical School, Nepean Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
- 2020-10-29
Published in:
- European addiction research. - 2020
English
BACKGROUND
Cyberchondria denotes excessive and repeated online health-related searches associated with an increase in health anxiety. Such searches persist in those with cyberchondria, despite the negative consequences, resembling a pattern of compulsive Internet use.
OBJECTIVES
The aim of the present study was to assess compulsive health-related Internet use in relation to cyberchondria while controlling for related variables.
METHOD
Adult participants (N = 749) were recruited from an online platform. They completed questionnaires assessing the severity of cyberchondria (via the Cyberchondria Severity Scale [CSS]), compulsive Internet use adapted for online health-related seeking (via the adapted Compulsive Internet Use Scale [CIUS]), and levels of intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety, as well as depressive, somatic, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. A logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify predictors of scores above a cutoff value on the CIUS, indicating compulsive health-related Internet use.
RESULTS
The regression output showed that only the CSS total score and sex made a unique, statistically significant contribution to the model, leading to the correct classification of 78.6% of the cases. Of the CSS subscales, compulsion and distress were the most strongly associated with compulsive health-related Internet use.
CONCLUSIONS
The finding that the adapted CIUS scores are associated with cyberchondria indicates that cyberchondria has a compulsive component, at least in terms of health-related Internet use. It also suggests that compulsive health-related Internet use persists despite the distress associated with this activity. Males may engage in cyberchondria more compulsively than females. These findings have implications for research and clinical practice.
Cyberchondria denotes excessive and repeated online health-related searches associated with an increase in health anxiety. Such searches persist in those with cyberchondria, despite the negative consequences, resembling a pattern of compulsive Internet use.
OBJECTIVES
The aim of the present study was to assess compulsive health-related Internet use in relation to cyberchondria while controlling for related variables.
METHOD
Adult participants (N = 749) were recruited from an online platform. They completed questionnaires assessing the severity of cyberchondria (via the Cyberchondria Severity Scale [CSS]), compulsive Internet use adapted for online health-related seeking (via the adapted Compulsive Internet Use Scale [CIUS]), and levels of intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety, as well as depressive, somatic, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. A logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify predictors of scores above a cutoff value on the CIUS, indicating compulsive health-related Internet use.
RESULTS
The regression output showed that only the CSS total score and sex made a unique, statistically significant contribution to the model, leading to the correct classification of 78.6% of the cases. Of the CSS subscales, compulsion and distress were the most strongly associated with compulsive health-related Internet use.
CONCLUSIONS
The finding that the adapted CIUS scores are associated with cyberchondria indicates that cyberchondria has a compulsive component, at least in terms of health-related Internet use. It also suggests that compulsive health-related Internet use persists despite the distress associated with this activity. Males may engage in cyberchondria more compulsively than females. These findings have implications for research and clinical practice.
- Language
-
- English
- Open access status
- hybrid
- Identifiers
-
- DOI 10.1159/000510922
- PMID 33120393
- Persistent URL
- https://sonar.ch/global/documents/138141
Statistics
Document views: 21
File downloads:
- fulltext.pdf: 0