The Portrait of Cyberchondria—A Cross-Sectional Online Study on Factors Related to Health Anxiety and Cyberchondria in Polish Population during SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

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 7, 1-10

Abstract: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has served as a magnifying glass for cyberchondria, while the internet emerged as one of the main sources of medical information and support. The core ambition of this study was to estimate the level of cyberchondria and describe the socio-demographic, clinical and pandemic-related factors affecting its severity amid the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was performed between 16 May 2020 and 29 December 2020 in Poland within a sample of 538 adult internet users. The online survey tool included a Polish adaptation of the Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS-PL) and the Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI), complemented with a set of questions covering sociodemographic, clinical and pandemic-related factors. Participants were clustered according to severity of health anxiety and cyberchondria symptoms. The performed binary logistic regression indicated professional inactivity, having a chronic mental disorder and subjectively limited access to healthcare due to COVID-19 to be key determinants of severe health anxiety and cyberchondria. Cyberchondria might be a remarkable public health issue as large proportion of respondents from the analyzed sample population of internet users met the criteria for severe symptoms. Key determinants of intense cyberchondria corresponded with employment stability, mental resilience and accessibility of healthcare services, which could be greatly challenged amid the pandemic.

Keywords: cyberchondria; pandemic; health anxiety (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 (2)

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