Yasser Khazaal1,2,3, Anne Chatton4, Lucien Rochat5, Vincent Hede4, Kirupamani Viswasam6, Louise Penzenstadler4, David Berle7,8, Vladan Starcevic9. 1. Addiction Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland, yasser.khazaal@chuv.ch. 2. Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland, yasser.khazaal@chuv.ch. 3. Research Centre, University Institute of Mental Health at Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada, yasser.khazaal@chuv.ch. 4. Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland. 5. Faculty of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. 6. Department of Psychiatry, Nepean Hospital, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia. 7. Discipline of Clinical Psychology, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 8. School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 9. Discipline of Psychiatry, Sydney Medical School, Nepean Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Abstract
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.
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.
Authors: Yasser Khazaal; Fares Zine El Abiddine; Louise Penzenstadler; Djamal Berbiche; Ghada Bteich; Saeideh Valizadeh-Haghi; Lucien Rochat; Sophia Achab; Riaz Khan; Anne Chatton Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-09-24 Impact factor: 4.614