Social Support Mediates the Association between Health Anxiety and Quality of Life: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Study

Marta Ciułkowicz (), Błażej Misiak, Dorota Szcześniak, Jolanta Grzebieluch, Julian Maciaszek and Joanna Rymaszewska
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Marta Ciułkowicz: Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
Błażej Misiak: Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
Dorota Szcześniak: Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
Jolanta Grzebieluch: Department of Population Health, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
Julian Maciaszek: Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
Joanna Rymaszewska: Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 19, 1-11

Abstract: This study aimed to test if perceived social support and cyberchondria mediate the association between health anxiety and quality of life (QoL) in a nonclinical sample. Cross-sectional research involved adult internet users ( n = 538) between 16 May 2020 and 29 December 2020 in Poland who completed self-report questionnaires, including the cyberchondria severity scale (CSS-PL), the short health anxiety inventory (SHAI), the multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS) and the quality of life scale (QOLS). A mediation analysis was performed to examine the direct effects of health anxiety on cyberchondria, perceived social support and quality of life. Likewise, the effects of cyberchondria and perceived social support on QoL were analyzed. Hence, indirect effects of health anxiety on QoL through cyberchondria and perceived social support were explored. Health anxiety significantly impaired QoL both directly and indirectly through low-perceived social support. Perceived social support partly mediated the association between health anxiety and QoL. Cyberchondria did not have a significant direct effect on the latter. Thus, cyberchondria did not mediate the relationship between health anxiety and QoL. Boosting-perceived social support may mitigate the detrimental effect of health anxiety on QoL. Cyberchondria was not found to have a significant effect on QoL in contrast to health anxiety alone.

Keywords: cyberchondria; health anxiety; quality of life; perceived social support (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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