The Status and Influencing Factors of Cyberchondria During the COVID-19 Epidemic. A Cross-Sectional Study in Nanyang City of China

BackgroundIn modern society, social media addiction (SMA) has become a serious problem in many countries, including China. Almost every medical care professional has their own social media account. They are also at risk for SMA, but no SMA studies in Chinese medical care professionals have been published. This study aims to investigate the status and influencing factors of SMA among Chinese medical care professionals.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 519 physicians and nurses from two randomly selected hospitals using a questionnaire that included the Social Networking Service Addiction Scale (SNSAS), Maslach’s Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), the General Self-efficacy Scale (GSES), and eight demographic datasets.ResultsThis study’s findings showed that most of the participants’ (357,68.79%) scores reached 2.5 points (half of the highest possible score), indicating that SMA scores of Chinese medical care professionals were relatively high. Significant differences in SMA scores by age (p < 0.01), marital status (p < 0.01), professional title (p < 0.01), and working years (p < 0.01) were found. Income satisfaction (p < 0.01) and sleep quality (p < 0.05) were negatively correlated with SMA. The GSES score was not correlated with SMA (p = 0.377). Burnout significantly positively affected SMA (p < 0.01).ConclusionOur study found that the SMA scores of Chinese medical care professionals were relatively high. To reduce the SMA level of the medical care population, we should first start with reducing burnout, enabling medical care professionals to achieve sufficient sleep, increasing medical staff income, and providing more opportunities for promotion.

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“…“WJX” is widely used in questionnaire research in China. It is efficient and reliable ( Peng et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Status and Influencing Factors of Social Media Addiction in Chinese Medical Care Professionals: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Luo

Kong

et al. 2022

Front. Psychol.

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“…[ 29 ] However, the current study reported that there is a statistically significant association between high eHealth literacy and cyberchondria, which is in agreement with the findings of previous studies. [ 15 , 30 ] This may be explained by the fact that eHealth literacy is directly proportional to the time spent on, and the frequency of searching, the internet. [ 31 ]…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cyberchondria and its association with smartphone addiction and electronic health literacy among a Saudi population

El-Zayat

Namnkani

Alshareef

et al. 2023

Saudi J Med Med Sci

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Background: Cyberchondria is a recent phenomenon characterized by the excessive/frequent searching of the internet for health-related information (HRI) that results in concerns/anxiety over health and wellness. Studies have shown an increase in the prevalence of cyberchondria and that it is associated with smartphone addiction and eHealth literacy, but few such studies are available from Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross-sectional study included adult Saudis living in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and was conducted between May 1 and June 30, 2022. A four-section questionnaire was distributed using Google Forms, and included the Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS), Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS), and Electronic Health Literacy scale (eHEALS). The scales were translated into Arabic using the forward–backward technique, and then evaluated for content validity, face validity, and reliability. Results: The reliability of the translated versions was satisfactory: CSS Cronbach’s alpha = 0.882; SAS = 0.887; eHEALS = 0.903. A total of 518 participants were inlcuded, of which the majority were female (64.1%). The prevalence of cyberchondria was 2.1% (95% CI: 1.1–3.8), 83.4% (79.9–86.5), and 14.5% (11.6–17.8) for low, moderate, and high grades, respectively. Two-thirds of the participants (66.6%) had smartphone addiction, while three-fourths (72.6%) had a high level of eHealth literacy. There were significant correlations between cyberchondria and smartphone addiction ( r = 0.395, CI = 0.316/0.475, P = 0.0001) and high eHealth literacy ( r = 0.265, CI = 0.182/0.349, P = 0.0001). Conclusion: The study revealed a high prevalence of cyberchondria in a Saudi population, and this was associated with smartphone addiction and high eHealth literacy.

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“…A higher score indicates a higher severity of suspected cyberchondria. The psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the CSS-12 were reported by Peng et al [ 22 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moderating Effect of Coping Strategies on the Association Between the Infodemic-Driven Overuse of Health Care Services and Cyberchondria and Anxiety: Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling Study

Xu,

Chen

2024

J Med Internet Res

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Background The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a substantial increase in health information, which has, in turn, caused a significant rise in cyberchondria and anxiety among individuals who search for web-based medical information. To cope with this information overload and safeguard their mental well-being, individuals may adopt various strategies. However, the effectiveness of these strategies in mitigating the negative effects of information overload and promoting overall well-being remains uncertain. Objective This study aimed to investigate the moderating effect of coping strategies on the relationship between the infodemic-driven misuse of health care and depression and cyberchondria. The findings could add a new dimension to our understanding of the psychological impacts of the infodemic, especially in the context of a global health crisis, and the moderating effect of different coping strategies on the relationship between the overuse of health care and cyberchondria and anxiety. Methods The data used in this study were obtained from a cross-sectional web-based survey. A professional survey company was contracted to collect the data using its web-based panel. The survey was completed by Chinese individuals aged 18 years or older without cognitive problems. Model parameters of the relationships between infodemic-driven overuse of health care, cyberchondria, and anxiety were analyzed using bootstrapped partial least squares structural equation modeling. Additionally, the moderating effects of coping strategies on the aforementioned relationships were also examined. Results A total of 986 respondents completed the web-based survey. The mean scores of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 and Cyberchondria Severity Scale-12 were 8.4 (SD 3.8) and 39.7 (SD 7.5), respectively. The mean score of problem-focused coping was higher than those of emotion- and avoidant-focused coping. There was a significantly positive relationship between a high level of infodemic and increased overuse of health care (bootstrapped mean 0.21, SD 0.03; 95% CI 0.1581-0.271). The overuse of health care resulted in more severe cyberchondria (bootstrapped mean 0.107, SD 0.032) and higher anxiety levels (bootstrapped mean 0.282, SD 0.032) in all the models. Emotion (bootstrapped mean 0.02, SD 0.008 and 0.037, SD 0.015)- and avoidant (bootstrapped mean 0.026, SD 0.009 and 0.049, SD 0.016)-focused coping strategies significantly moderated the relationship between the overuse of health care and cyberchondria and that between the overuse of health care and anxiety, respectively. Regarding the problem-based model, the moderating effect was significant for the relationship between the overuse of health care and anxiety (bootstrapped mean 0.007, SD 0.011; 95% CI 0.005-0.027). Conclusions This study provides empirical evidence about the impact of coping strategies on the relationship between infodemic-related overuse of health care services and cyberchondria and anxiety. Future research can build on the findings of this study to further explore these relationships and develop and test interventions aimed at mitigating the negative impact of the infodemic on mental health.

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The Status and Influencing Factors of Cyberchondria During the COVID-19 Epidemic. A Cross-Sectional Study in Nanyang City of China

Cited by 17 publications

References 71 publications

Status and Influencing Factors of Social Media Addiction in Chinese Medical Care Professionals: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Status and Influencing Factors of Social Media Addiction in Chinese Medical Care Professionals: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Cyberchondria and its association with smartphone addiction and electronic health literacy among a Saudi population

Moderating Effect of Coping Strategies on the Association Between the Infodemic-Driven Overuse of Health Care Services and Cyberchondria and Anxiety: Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling Study

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