Factors influencing health anxiety: the stimulus–organism–response model perspective

Abstract

PurposeWith the popularity of the internet, access to health-related information has become more convenient. However, the easy acquisition of e-health information could lead to unfavorable consequences, such as health anxiety. The purpose of this paper is to explore a set of important influencing factors that lead to health anxiety.Design/methodology/approachBased on the stimulus–organism–response (S-O-R) framework, we propose a theoretical model of health anxiety, with metacognitive beliefs and catastrophic misinterpretation as the mediators between stimulus factors and health anxiety. Using 218 self-reported data points, the authors empirically examine the research model and hypotheses.FindingsThe study results show that anxiety sensitivity positively affects metacognitive beliefs. The severity of physical symptoms has a significant positive impact on catastrophic misinterpretation. Metacognitive beliefs and catastrophic misinterpretation have significant positive impacts on health anxiety.Originality/valueBased on the S-O-R model, this paper develops a comprehensive model to explain health anxiety and verifies the model using firsthand data.

Learning Stress, Involvement, Academic Concerns, and Mental Health among University Students during a Pandemic: Influence of Fear and Moderation of Self-Efficacy

“…Firstly, this study established a research framework that was based on the SOR model and focused on students’ mental health problems that were caused by environmental changes and stimuli. The results of this study extended the application of the SOR model in the psychological response and supported the previous research that the concept of response should include both behavioral and psychological responses [ 19 ].…”

“…In the SOR framework, response is defined as individuals’ reactions that are affected by environmental factors [ 20 ], including behavioral [ 15 ] and psychological reactions [ 19 ]. In this study, psychological well-being is viewed as a construct of psychological reactions.…”

“…Such studies often use behavioral outcomes as response variables [ 15 , 18 ]. However, with further research, the understanding of response variables should be on two levels: the response at the behavioral level and the response at the psychological level [ 19 , 20 ]. Few studies on education have explored responses at the psychological level.…”

Digital and physical factors influencing an individual's preventive behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan: A perspective based on the S–O–R model

“…This framework has been extensively used to explore human behavior, especially online consumers' shopping behaviors ( Xu et al, 2020 ). More recently, the S–O–R model has been successfully applied to examine individual's behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., Luo et al, 2021 ; Pandita, Mishra, & Choi, 2021; Song et al, 2021 ; Soroya, Farooq, Mahmood, Isoaho, & Zara, 2021 ; Yang, Gu, et al, 2021 ; Yang, Gu, et al, 2021 ; Zhang, Zhang, Xiao, & Zheng, 2021 ; Zheng et al, 2020 ; Zhu, Yan, & Song, 2022 ) see related constructs in Table 1 .…”

The Effect of Social Media Use on Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults with Self-Reported Hearing Impairment: An Empirical Study

“…Pandita, Mishra, and Chib, for example, used this framework to study the psychological effects of COVID-19 on individuals [21]. Yang et al studied the effects of metacognitive beliefs and catastrophic misconceptions on health anxiety in social media use [22]. Cao et al also used the S-O-R model to investigate the effect of social media use on fatigue and on dependence on internalization disorders (depression and anxiety) [23].…”