Family Dysfunction and Cyberchondria among Chinese Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Model

Shengyingjie Liu, Huai Yang, Min Cheng and Tianchang Miao ()
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Shengyingjie Liu: Faculty of Artificial Intelligence in Education, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
Huai Yang: School of Nursing & Institute of Higher Education Research and Quality Evaluation, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China
Min Cheng: College of Humanities & Arts, Jiaxing Nanhu University, Jiaxing 314001, China
Tianchang Miao: College of Humanities & Arts, Jiaxing Nanhu University, Jiaxing 314001, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 15, 1-16

Abstract: Cyberchondria has become a severe health problem and a significant public concern. In addition to the impacts that cyberchondria involves, individual psychological and behavioral factors have been identified. However, the role of family function and the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying these relations are not understood well, especially among adolescents. Based on family functioning and cognitive-behavioral theory, this study sought to examine whether family dysfunction was associated with cyberchondria, and a moderated mediation model was prepared as a means of exploring whether health anxiety was a mediator of relationships between family dysfunction and cyberchondria, as well as whether optimism moderated these mediating processes. A total of 2074 Chinese adolescents (mean = 15.08 years, SD = 1.79) reported their demographic information, family dysfunction, health anxiety, optimism, and cyberchondria. The findings showed that family dysfunction was positively related to cyberchondria. Moreover, health anxiety partially mediated the relationship between family dysfunction and cyberchondria. Finally, optimism moderated the interplay among health anxiety and cyberchondria. Consistent with the expectancy-value models, this positive relationship was weaker for adolescents with a higher level of optimism. These results suggest that it is vital to simultaneously consider individual and family factors as a means of understanding adolescent cyberchondria when performing cyberchondria intervention programs.

Keywords: family dysfunction; cyberchondria; health anxiety; optimism; moderated mediation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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